Memorial Healthcare - Memorial FIT Kids

What is it?

Memorial FIT Kids is a school-based program that works to change children’s and their families’ approach to nutrition, physical activity, and healthy lifestyles. Memorial FIT Kids is involved in every school district in the Shiawassee County region and promotes health through cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk screenings and classroom lessons. The many community partners have created additional initiatives that promote health through nutrition education and physical activity. Memorial FIT Kids is generously funded by the Memorial Healthcare Foundation.

Who is it for?

Every sixth-grader in the region’s 10 school districts and four parochial schools participates in one of the two formats offered by the Memorial FIT Kids program. We also reassess some of these students as eighth-graders as part of a longitudinal study.

Why do they do it?

The program was a response to the results of the Shiawassee United Way Community Survey, which identified childhood obesity as its number three community concern. Memorial Healthcare, in partnership with Central Michigan University, began testing all sixth-graders in 2005 for CVD risk factors. Research shows that children with three or more CVD risk factors show blood vessel changes suggestive of atherosclerosis beginning at an early age. Of the sixth-graders tested, 35.7 percent had three or more CVD risk factors. More than 4,400 students participated in cardiovascular screenings in the first four years. The programs’ long-term goal is to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about health and fitness in these children and the community, and to show a continuing decrease in CVD risk factors in the community’s young people.

Impact

In 2008, we partnered with the University of Michigan and Project Healthy Schools (PHS) to bring a proven, educational component to our program. Recently, we retested a group of eighth-graders who participated as sixth-graders, and we have hard data showing great results. These students’ total cholesterol levels lowered by nine points, LDL cholesterol was lowered by 11 points, resting heart rate reduced by three beats per minutes, and students reported eating less red meat and fried foods, and eating more fruits. They also stated that they were spending less time watching TV and playing video games.

Part of our long-term goal involves a continuation and expansion of the PHS curriculum. This program has five goals: more fruits and vegetables; better beverage choices; less screen time; more physical activity; and less fast and fatty foods. This program is making a difference in the lives of students in our region.

Our efforts are not going unnoticed. Memorial FIT Kids was recently named one of the 10 national Programs of Excellence by Jackson Healthcare Hospital Charitable Services Awards. Along with this distinction, our program received $10,000 that will allow us to continue to create innovative endeavors in our goal of reducing childhood obesity and expand our program to reach more children in the Shiawassee County region.

Memorial FIT Kids was also recognized in 2007 by the Michigan Hospital Association as one of two recipients of the Ludwig Community Benefit Award. The award is presented annually to health care organizations that demonstrate community benefit by improving the health and well-being of their communities through health care, economic or social initiatives.

Contact: Catherine Stevenson
Community Resource Liaison
Telephone: 989-729-4724
E-mail: cstevenson@memorialhealthcare.org