Young 'HEROES' Address Childhood Obesity Epidemic, Support First Lady Michelle Obama's ''Let's Move'' Initiative

With First Lady Michelle Obama’s announcement of a major initiative against childhood obesity, "Let’s Move,” hundreds of schools and organizations across the United States have launched youth-led service-learning initiatives focused on the growing epidemic.

Youth Service America (YSA) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) have recently awarded UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning grants to schools and youth-focused, community-based organizations, encouraging children and youth to increase their own knowledge on this issue. Micro-finance grants are incentivizing children and youth to take action on the biggest health crisis facing their generation, and to empower their peers by serving as educators and advocates for establishing habits that include a healthy diet and exercise.

The First Lady said that healthy living is often about "balance” and that even "small changes can add up.” She also said that "solving our obesity challenge won’t be easy and it won’t be quick.”

"The childhood obesity epidemic is an issue of critical concern to YSA,” said Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of YSA. "We are challenging thousands of youths to take the lead as ‘first responders’ to a crisis that directly affects them. We are delighted that First Lady Michelle Obama is bringing even greater attention to childhood obesity, and YSA is committed to supporting her efforts,” Culbertson exclaimed.

"With UnitedHealth HEROES, we are helping young people take action to fight childhood obesity in a way that’s not only educational, but beneficial for their communities. We believe these grants will empower teams of students to collaborate with teachers and community leaders to develop their own awareness programs that will make their schools and neighborhoods healthier,” said Jeannine M. Rivet, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group. "The UnitedHealth HEROES grants are part of UnitedHealth Group’s overall commitment to help stem the rising tide of obesity and related chronic health conditions like diabetes.”

Building on the success of last year’s grants, the reach of the HEROES grants expanded this year to include 35 states and the District of Columbia. HEROES service-learning projects include ideas like creating community health fairs, growing vegetable gardens, and providing recreational activities. Each proposal incorporated related learning goals that meet academic standards. A service-learning module supports educators interested in integrating the obesity program into their curriculum.

HEROES projects will be part of YSA’s Semester of Service, an extended service-learning framework during which young people will spend the "semester” addressing meaningful community needs connected to intentional learning goals and academic standards. The projects will culminate on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010, the largest service event in the world.

Examples of UnitedHealth HEROES projects:

The Camp Fire USA Youth Volunteer Corps (Seattle, WA) will work with 15 Latino middle school and high school students from a number of Seattle schools to create materials designed to raise awareness among their Spanish-speaking family members and classmates about the issue of childhood obesity (and other eating disorders) and the importance of establishing healthful habits early in life.

The YMCA Youth Association (Frankfort, KY) will partner with afterschool child care sites, neighborhoods, schools and work sites to conduct assessments of the community health level. Using the Community Healthy Living Index, students will help identify local barriers to healthful living. Each participating school will share its findings and recommendations, hosting a Community Health Fair on Global Youth Service Day in April.

The New Orleans Children's Health Project (New Orleans, LA) will work with student volunteers from sixth through eighth grades who have completed a Wellness Class to act as Wellness Buddies for children in younger grades. They will mentor the younger children during school hours, helping younger children make healthier choices at lunch, recommending ways for the younger students to get more physical activity on the weekends, and discussing after school routines together.

"I Have A Dream" Foundation (New York, NY) will provide speakers and weekly bike rides for their Bike Club. They will provide journals for youth to reflect about how they feel mentally and physically before and after their bike rides. Ultimately, the young people will plan and implement the Ravenswood Bike Club Meet Up, their own workshop for 6-11 year olds and their families at the Boys and Girls Club addressing bike safety, benefits of exercise and neighborhood opportunities based on their own experiences with community speakers and exploration.

Lorain County Community College (Elyria, OH) will start the Eden Vision Service-Learning Project to focus on No Child Left Inside, a national movement working to fight childhood obesity and youth disconnect from nature. Service-learning students will create a youth empowerment enrichment program for after school program’s youth participants. Youth will grow seeds with biology students and transplant them on Global Youth Service Day into the Eden Vision Community Garden.

In addition to the grants, YSA and UnitedHealth Group last year published First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Learning. This educational guide provides tools and resources for teachers to assist in the planning of effective service-learning initiatives with their students. To download the module, visit www.YSA.org/resources.

Obesity is a critical problem in America’s classrooms. According to 2008 data from the Centers for Disease Control, one in three children is obese or overweight, which can lead to lifelong chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Also, according to the 2009 America’s Health Rankings™, if left unchecked or untreated, obesity will affect 43 percent of adults by 2018 and will add nearly $344 billion in that year alone to the nation’s annual direct health care costs, accounting for more than 21 percent of health care spending. America’s Health Rankings is an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state analysis. It is published jointly by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.

For more information about YSA and the UnitedHealth HEROES projects, visit www.YSA.org.

Youth Service America (YSA) improves communities by increasing the number and the diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive roles. Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achievement. The impact of YSA’s work through service and service-learning is measured in student achievement, workplace readiness, and healthy communities. For more information, visit www.YSA.org.

UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.