Funded Projects

Problem:

Childhood obesity rates have reached epidemic levels, and children in New York City are more likely to be overweight or obese as compared to national statistics. Our community of Washington Heights/Inwood is disproportionately affected by obesity and associated morbidity.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Institute an integrated social marketing campaign with aim of obesity prevention across a continuum of a child's life: school, family, and community. Objective 1: Implement an integrated social marketing campaign in the community and schools by July 2012. Objective 2: Recruit businesses surrounding partner schools to join campaign (years 2-5 of project) Goal 2: Implement this campaign in all partner public elementary schools in Washington Heights/Inwood (years 2-5 of project). Objective 1: Distribute culturally and linguistically appropriate healthy habit of the month materials to parents/caregivers by May 2013. Objective 2: Create a school staff wellness newsletter focused on the healthy habit of the month by September 2012. Objective 3: Develop culturally and developmentally appropriate exercise flash cards by August 2012. Goal 3: Develop a 'toolkit' of materials to assist partner and non-partner schools and agencies with promoting healthy lifestyle changes. Objective 1: Assemble all materials developed by program into a toolkit by December 2012. Objective 2: Make all materials available electronically on website by December 2013. Objective 3: Connect with partner organization to assist with distribution of toolkit.

Methodology:

Goal 1) Integrated obesity prevention campaign in various settings. Update social marketing calendar and wording to ensure consistency. Update all program materials with the new social marketing messages (wording, sequence). Distribute updated materials in partner schools (newsletter, bulletin boards, healthy habit of the month handouts). Recruit new business campaign participants in the geographic area surrounding schools. These participants will be assisted with making environmental changes. Goal 2) Implement new campaign in all partner public schools. Revise all healthy habit materials to ensure 4-5 grade reading level and high SAM score. Ensure new materials meet all the tenants of health literacy. Translate all new materials into Spanish. Create healthy habit staff wellness newsletter for school staff. Update all exercise flash cards to map to current educational standards. Goal 3) Develop a toolkit of materials. Assemble all program materials into a toolkit with a short description of each piece and what it's used for. Create an online link to allow downloadable toolkit access. Partner with an agency to facilitate distribution of toolkit.

Coordination:

NYC Department of Education: The school based programming is delivered in school settings through the partnership with this department. East Harlem District Public Health Office: Assists with communication to schools and roll out of programs. American Academy of Pediatrics/NY School Health Chapter & Office of School Health: To assist in the distribution of the Toolkit. Teacher's College/Columbia University: Assisting with mapping nutrition curriculum to new educational standards.

Evaluation:

Number of pledges signed by community campaign participants; Qualitative review of how social marketing messages are being used by business in the community; Number of parents and caregivers who receive healthy habit materials; Number of school staff who receive healthy habit newsletter; Number of requests for toolkit (may include downloads, emails, mailed copies); Number of visits to Greenmarket table during Farmer's Market.

Experience to Date:

- Monthly conference calls for CHALK in Schools with nationwide partners - Physical Activity work group 8-week yoga class in Highbridge Park (included 10-15 participants) and a nutrition activity group to create a community-based, bilingual cooking class with the help of City Harvest - CHALK's Youth Task Force participated in NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Ambulatory Care Network's Teen Health Conference event. Participants from our summer program presented to about 80 high school peers about healthy lifestyle practices. - Monthly training for pediatric residents to introduce them to CHALK, the 10 Healthy Habits, present resources they can use in their clinical outpatient practices, pertaining to obesity prevention and treatment. - Continued presentation and scholarly work: PAS Annual Conference; April 25-28, 2015; San Diego, CA. and at New York City Pediatric Advocacy Conference, New York, March 17, 2016. - Five hundred Greenbucks were distributed at the market, through our market table and NYP outpatient practices - Provided weekly Greenmarket education and healthy habit demonstrations (Range: 14-80) -- Created a multimedia Just Move/CHALK launch kit created the content for a detailed Just Move implementation guide and videos available for download - Continued Healthy Habit distribution to our 4 pediatric practices and 1 OB/GYN site - Contacted the Office of School Health's District Nursing Director to try to integrate our toolkits into school nursing practice.