Raising the stakes in the war on
childhood obesity, Georgia's public health commissioner called
into battle hundreds of public health practitioners at the
annual Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA) conference.
"I want all of
public health -- the GPHA, the Department of Public Health, our
local health departments, our academic partners and our media
partners like Partner Up [for Public Health] -- to commit to one
goal this year. I want us to commit to the one goal of reducing
obesity," an emotional Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., said in a
keynote address highlighting Georgia's children.
Fitzgerald's
remarks were met by applause by more than 350 people gathered at
the Grand Hyatt Atlanta last week for the state's largest annual
public health conference.
"I've been
around you for two and a half years now and I believe we can do
it. Please join me," Fitzgerald said, ending her speech and
beginning the enlistment of ambassadors for Georgia SHAPE's
Power Up For 30, a new campaign aimed at encouraging 30 minutes
of active, physical fitness daily in Georgia schools.
Fitzgerald's
keynote call to action comes one week after she and State School
Superintendent John Barge, Ph.D., delivered a letter to
Georgia's school superintendents urging the additional physical
fitness time in addition to any physical education classes.
"We are facing
an epidemic among our Georgia students," the letter reads,
citing mounting evidence of a strong link between exercise and
academic achievement. "The data is clear and the message cannot
be ignored: We must get our students moving more during the
school day."
Last week, a new
report by the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent
Health ranked Georgia 17th in the nation for prevalence of
childhood obesity -- a stark improvement over the center's
previous Georgia ranking as second in the nation.
"I am pleased
with the improvement, but I'm not satisfied," Fitzgerald told a
news reporter at the conference.
In 2011, Georgia
implemented FITNESSGRAM, a standardized assessment of students'
fitness levels, as part of Georgia SHAPE, Gov. Nathan Deal's
Student Health and Physical Education program. Data gathered in
the initial tests of nearly 1 million students revealed 43
percent of Georgia's children are at an unhealthy weight. Only
16 percent were able to pass all five measures of the fitness
test. And 20 percent of those children tested in Georgia failed
all five tests.
"The fitness
test is not about trying out for the football team. It's not
trying out for the Olympic Games," Fitzgerald told those at the
conference. "It's simple things like walking a mile and touching
your toes."
Fitzgerald
encouraged those at the conference to begin dialogue with local
school officials aimed at encouraging increased physical
fitness.
"This year I
believe is the year that the people in this room...can make a
change that matters. I'm not talking about a small change. I'm
talking about a huge change."
Editor's Note
To learn more about Power Up for 30, contact Therese McGuire,
DOE health and physical education specialist, at 404-651-7859
or
tmcguire@doe.k12.ga.us.
Or contact Dan Fesperman, DPH obesity project manager, at
404-657-6587 or
dafesperman@dhr.state.ga.us. To hear more success stories,
subscribe to the Power Up for 30 email newsletter by sending a
blank email to
powerup@list.doe.k12.ga.us.
-Story
by DPH Communications
