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‘Growing Healthy Kids in Kentucky’ Conference
By
Carol L. Spence
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Oct. 10, 2007) – Young people face many
challenges these days, not the least of which is weight
management. A statewide conference, Growing Healthy Kids in
Kentucky, is scheduled for November 8 and 9 to examine ways to
help them succeed in that arena.
According to Janet Tietyen, a University of Kentucky Family and
Consumer Sciences Cooperative Extension specialist, the picture
for today’s youth is dismal. Currently 15 percent of children
are overweight, a figure that has tripled in the past 25 years.
Most of them will struggle with obesity as adults. One third of
today’s youth will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some
stage in their lives.
“We must make it easier for people to manage their weight by
making changes in the world we live in, to create an environment
where it is easy, and the norm is to be active and eat well,”
Tietyen said.
That is the focus of this year’s conference. Titled “The
Spectrum of Prevention: Policies for People,” it will be a
working conference. Tietyen said participants would use the
state plan as a jumping off point to develop regional plans
aimed at environmental and policy changes in communities,
schools and worksites. They will also identify and begin work on
funding applications and other resources to support communities
in their efforts to reduce the risk of obesity in Kentucky.
Guest speakers will include Richard Wilson from the University
of Louisville Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral
Sciences, who will give examples of policy changes that promote
health in communities, and Shellie Pfohl, vice president of Be
Active North Carolina, who will share how they promoted physical
activity in North Carolina using programs, people and policies.
The conference is sponsored by UK, Family and Consumer Sciences
Cooperative Extension, Partnership for a Fit Kentucky and the
Kentucky Dietetic Association. Organizers encourage
participation by educators, policymakers, parents and concerned
citizens. Typically, the conference is attended by family and
consumer sciences extension agents, public health nutritionists,
school food service directors, registered dietitians and nurses.
This year, conference planners have invited representatives from
county judge/executive offices, as well.
“We want people from every county in the commonwealth to come
and participate in making Kentucky a healthier place to live,”
Tietyen said.
Registration materials for the Growing Healthy Kids in Kentucky
conference, to be held at Holiday Inn North in Lexington, can be
obtained by visiting the Web site
http://www.ca.uky.edu/hes/index.php?p=301. The registration
deadline is October 26.
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Contact: Janet Tietyen, 859-257-1812
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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