GROUNDBREAKING FOUR-STATE TEST
OF SCHOOL-BASED OBESITY PROGRAM
SHOWS REDUCTIONS IN OVERWEIGHT POPULATION

WAY Program meets NANA model policies criteria
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Elementary school students in four states experienced significant shifts in body mass index (BMI) levels during a pilot testing of a school-based program aimed at reducing childhood obesity and improving academic performance, according to a study published in the most recent edition of the scientific journal Journal of Obesity Research.

The study measured the progress of 1,031 fourth- and fifth- graders at 16 schools in Florida, Delaware, Kansas and North Carolina. Researchers found a 2 percent reduction in the overweight population among children who participated in the “Wellness, Academics and You” (WAY) program for a semester, compared with no significant shift among a comparison group of students who didn’t take part in WAY. Participants in WAY also demonstrated noticeable increases in the consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as increased levels of physical activity.

Samuel A. Spiegel, Ph.D., and David Foulk, Ph.D., the authors of the study , said a review of data collected in the study “shows significant positive shifts in BMI in the intervention group…” while “Notable increases in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased physical activity levels were reported.”

“The intervention was well-received by the classroom teachers and shows promise for a school-based obesity prevention initiative,” the researchers said.

This study was commissioned by The Institute for America’s Health (IAH). IAH is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide health educational opportunities for children and adolescents through public policy work, research and a variety of educational programs

“This is a groundbreaking study,” said Stuart Reese, Interim Executive Director of the IAH. “For the WAY program to show an actual reduction in the overweight student populations at pilot schools is very promising, I’m not aware of any other school-based program of its kind that has achieved these type of results in such a concentrated time frame.”

Through public, private and corporate donations, IAH provides the WAY program for free to participating school districts and pays teachers to take part in training workshops. Under the program, teachers let students take 10-minute daily breaks to exercise along with a videotaped program. They also incorporated lessons on nutrition, calories, goal setting and stress management into core subject areas - math, language arts, science and social studies. Students kept a daily personal journal in which they recorded activities and food choices, and students reflected on their understanding of themselves (body, mind, family and social interactions). Resources also provided for parents to participate in efforts to encourage the students in life-long healthy behaviors.

Teachers reported positive shifts in students’ lunch and snack choices within two weeks of beginning the WAY program, and parents reported changes in the students’ eating habits at home. Physical activity rates at school rose from a reported average of 11.8 minutes during the school day to 20.5 minutes. Outside of school, reported physical activity levels rose from 22.34 minutes a day to 37.42 minutes.

Baseline measurements for the study were collected in November and December 2003, while final data were collected in May and June 2004. Spiegel and Foulk said additional studies are needed “to determine whether long-term program fidelity will result in continued improvement.”

“Like most school districts in the United States, we have worked with numerous agencies/companies on a variety of joint projects,” said Artie Kamiya, Senior Administrator of Health and Physical Education in for the Wake County public school system. “The WAY Program has provided our school system with promising strategies for addressing the physical activity, nutrition, and obesity problems faced by our community.”

The WAY program was developed by I4Learning, an Atlanta-based company that is a national leader in the development and implementation of community and school-based wellness and prevention programs.

Congress is requiring that all school districts with a federally-funded school meals program develop and implement wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity by the start of the 2006-2007 school year. In response to requests for guidance on developing such policies, the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) convened a work group of more than 50 health, physical activity, nutrition, and education professionals from a variety of national and state organizations to develop a set of model policies for local school districts.

"We are especially sensitive to the needs of schools to develop wellness policies that are consistent with the NANA model policies,” said Phil Ingram, President and CEO of i4learning. “At the same time, we promote teacher ‘ownership’ of the WAY program, and encourage teachers to use their own skills, expertise, and wisdom in integrating it into their academic goals and missions.”

WAY targets grades four through six because research has shown that this is the critical age where children are still reachable, before they enter the middle grades years. Beginning school-based programs during these grades have been shown to have lasting impact on students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, especially when reinforced later on.

Spiegel is a Science Educator in the Professional Development Center at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Foulk is a professor of Health Education and Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Florida State University’s College of Education.

NOTE: Copies of the OBESITY RESEARCH study are available by contacting Stuart Reese at (850) 528-0218.