UT Public Health Program Will Tackle Travis County
Childhood Obesity,
Supported by $2.4-Million Grant
from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
HOUSTON – (Oct. 23, 2006) – A University of Texas School of Public Health program to battle the epidemic of child obesity is being introduced in Travis County public elementary schools by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living.
Dr. Deanna Hoelscher and CATCH kids practicing good health in Katy ISD gym class.
CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health), a proven school-based program promoting physical activity, healthy food choices and tobacco prevention in elementary age children, is now launching in the Austin and Del Valle independent school districts with support from a $2.4 million grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
The goal is to reduce the prevalence of overweight fourth-grade students in Travis County elementary schools from a baseline of 23.5 percent to 15 percent after four years, said CATCH staffers.
“Healthy children are better students. The CATCH program will reinforce Healthy Choices lessons that Austin ISD students are learning in class, the cafeteria and on the playground,” said Pat Forgione, Ph.D., Austin Independent School District superintendent. “Also, the family involvement component addresses the importance of home support to student success. Parents expect their children's homework to include reading and writing. With the assistance of the CATCH program, parents will realize that higher expectations regarding students' food choices and participation in physical activities are just as important to a child's academic success.”
CATCH, which is approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), includes four core components: the Eat Smart school nutrition program; physical activity and healthy eating classroom curricula; the CATCH physical education program; and a family education and involvement program.
“Because 70 percent of overweight children become overweight adults, it’s highly imperative that we help these kids understand at a young age how combining fun and fuel can help them strike a healthy balance of nutritional eating and physical activity,” said Kendall Pace, director of U.S. Health Programs at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. “Through projects like CATCH, we hope to help children view food as fuel for performance, whether that performance is academic, athletic, musical or mental. Teaching kids the importance of healthy eating and regular physical activity can instill life-long behaviors that will lead them to live healthy, active lives with sharper minds and bodies.”
For the first time, the CATCH project also includes a CATCH Child Health Consortium composed of school leaders, Parent-Teacher Association representatives, CATCH champions, business leaders, Parks and Recreation representatives and other influential stakeholders that will extend the reach of CATCH into the community.
“Obesity is an important concern and AISD is proactively pursuing methods to combat it. CATCH will be a tremendous benefit for kids and families in Austin,” said Carey Dabney, a parent and chair of the Austin ISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC).
In the CATCH program, which began as a successful research study, classroom teachers, food service managers and PE classroom teachers are trained to use CATCH resources and equipment in all participating schools. Materials include the CATCH PE teacher lesson box, PE equipment, classroom teacher curricula, teacher workbooks, and “Eat Smart” cafeteria manuals. All children in these schools will take home information about CATCH and schools will plan activities that involve families. Additional implementation support will be provided to targeted lower-income schools.
“So much preventive medicine is dependent on finding a source of funding, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is allowing us to do this in a comprehensive way. We feel if we do well in Austin, it will help us get the word out across the country,” said Steven H. Kelder, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of CATCH and professor of epidemiology and behavioral sciences at the UT School of Public Health.
The largest randomized controlled trial based in elementary schools that has ever been conducted in the United States, CATCH shows evidence of long-term program effects for decreasing fat consumption and increasing physical activity among children and adolescents. Long term follow-up data indicate changes in diet and physical activity that were maintained three years after intervention.
“Expansion of CATCH into Travis County will be based on lessons learned from establishing successful programs in other areas and will help to create a template for future nationwide expansion,” said Deanna Hoelscher, Ph.D., director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living and associate professor of health promotion/behavioral sciences and nutrition in the UT School of Public Health.
So far, the program has been well-received in the area, said Peter Cribb, director of CATCH. “The principals have been very positive and are looking forward to the opportunity to create an environment in the schools that reinforces healthy behavior,” he said.