Partnership with Healthy LifeStars® supports teaching healthy habits to children
The partnership of the non-profit Healthy LifeStars® and The Ohio State University Office of the Chief Wellness Officer and College of Nursing will host a virtual StepAThon™ to raise funds to support the battle against childhood obesity on April 5-9, 2021.
Participants are invited to register either as an individual or as part of a team. They are asked to get active, either counting steps or utilizing another favorite activity as a vehicle to raise funds to support educational and experiential programs through The LifeStar Challenge™, which is designed to teach children across Ohio healthy lifestyle habits that can stay with them throughout their whole lives.
“Every dollar we raise through this awesome event will help combat the public health epidemic of childhood obesity, which now affects one out of five children with higher rates in underrepresented children,” said Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, vice president for health promotion, university chief wellness officer and dean of the College of Nursing at Ohio State. “Obesity often leads to serious chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer. We know from research that 80% of chronic disease is totally preventable with just a few healthy lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, and the earlier our children can learn and follow those behaviors, the healthier they and our world will be.”
The prevalence of childhood obesity and its impacts are vast:
- One in three American children is classified as overweight or obese.
- Two-thirds of children in the U.S. do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity needed for healthy living.
- Children who are overweight/obese have higher rates of poor self-esteem and mental health problems than those who are normal weight.
- For the first time ever, youth life expectancy is predicted to be five years shorter than that of their parents. Childhood is the foundation for the rest of adult life, so starting healthy habits early will set children up for healthy lifestyle behaviors that will benefit them for a lifetime.
“The time for intervention to reverse this trend threatening children in our home state is now,” said Cindi Englefield, a Healthy LifeStars® board member who grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio State. “COVID-19 has spotlighted the particular danger of pre-existing conditions. If we can eliminate this condition in our children, we can eliminate so much of that danger and set up our kids for healthy, successful, impactful lives.”
All funds raised by the StepAThon™ will support the Ohio Child Wellness Fund, which allows the LifeStar Challenge™ to be offered at no cost to organizations serving and supporting children. The LifeStar Challenge™ program combines physical activity, proper nutrition and goal-setting through three simple, core messages: “I Am Active! I Eat Right! I Can Do It!”
Anyone interested in joining the virtual StepAThon™ can visit go.osu.edu/healthylifestars for more information and to register for the event. Prizes are available for top fundraisers and top steppers.
