Governor Doyle, First Lady Doyle Unveil 'Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids' Educational Nutrition & Physical Activity Guide
Will Distribute More Than 500,000 Guidebooks as Part of Governor's KidsFirst Initiative
Download the guide:
English Version: http://healthykids.wisconsin.gov/docs/Eng_BCBSWI_Foundation.pdf
Spanish Version:
http://healthykids.wisconsin.gov/docs/SP_BCBSWI_Foundation.pdf
Governor Jim Doyle and First Lady Jessica Doyle unveiled today "Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids," an educational nutrition and physical activity guide for children and their parents. The guide is part of Governor Doyle’s KidsFirst Initiative - a comprehensive initiative to ensure that all kids in Wisconsin are healthy, safe, prepared for success, and supported by strong families. Governor Doyle thanked Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin for donating about 510,000 copies of the educational guide for distribution statewide.
"My KidsFirst Initiative recognizes that the solution to our battle against childhood obesity starts with education, and this guide is an important step in ensuring that kids and parents are informed about healthy nutrition and exercise," Governor Doyle said.
The educational guide includes sections entitled: Get your entire family involved; Set healthy realistic goals; Make the most of family mealtime; Make sure your child eats a balanced, healthy diet; and Get active. The guide is printed in both English and Spanish and is also available free online at http://www.bluecrosswisconsin.com/body.cfm?id=303
"This colorful and fun book will help parents and kids follow simple guidelines toward a healthier, more active lifestyle," Governor Doyle said. "The book even has a special section on healthy options for eating out with kids that parents can cut out and take along to restaurants for easy reference."
Governor Doyle said that through partnerships with the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Department of Health and Family Services, and the Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin will distribute about 510,000 copies of the guide throughout the state.
"Our goal is that in one year, more than half of all children between the ages of four and twelve in Wisconsin will have this guide and will be living healthier lifestyles," Governor Doyle said.
The State of Wisconsin will distribute more than 325,000 books through the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program at the Department of Health and Family Services and the Team Nutrition Program at the Department of Public Instruction. The remaining books, about 185,000, will be distributed by the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians.
About 16 percent of Wisconsin children are obese - four times the rate in the 1960s - increasing the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart and gall bladder disease. In addition, about 24 percent of Wisconsin high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight and about 58 percent of Wisconsin adults are overweight or obese. In 2003, the estimated cost of obesity-related healthcare costs in Wisconsin reached $1.5 billion.
