National Urban League Unites with Leading Out-of-School-Time Organizations to Combat Childhood Obesity

New initiative of ChildObesity180 has the potential to improve the health of tens of millions of children every year.

Washington D.C. (November 29, 2011) – Today, the National Urban League announced at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit, its partnership with leading out-of-school-time organizations to unify principles for nutrition and physical activity.
 
In addition to the National Urban League, the Healthy Kids Out of School initiative is a collaboration between the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, the National Council of La Raza, the National Council of Youth Sports, Pop Warner, US Youth Soccer, the YMCA of the USA, and 4-H.
 
The leaders of these organizations, convened by ChildObesity180, developed universal nutrition and physical activity principles from a broad list of evidenced-based recommendations for combating childhood obesity – marking the first time leaders from these groups have worked together toward a common goal.
 
“Healthy Kids Out of School represents a groundbreaking collaboration of major youth-focused groups in a new and strategic effort,” said Peter Dolan, chairman ofChildObesity180.  “These organizations are demonstrating the essential leadership and cooperation necessary to counter the childhood obesity epidemic and to meaningfully improve the health and well-being of the tens of millions children who participate in their programs.”
 
“The National Urban League is pleased to join the ChildObesity180 Initiative and our national partners in this collaborative movement. Many children in communities of color are more likely to be obese and live in unsafe communities where there are few opportunities for physical activity and limited access to healthy food.” said National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial, “Now, by adopting these three principles in after school programs and as a part of out-of-school time activities we are coming together to offer our children practical, smart, cost-effective measures for a lifetime of lessons about healthy food choices and physical activity. “

A significant percentage of school-aged children in the U.S. are enrolled in out-of-school-time activities, including a large number of rural, urban, and low-income children who are particularly vulnerable to the poor health outcomes linked to childhood obesity. Because of this broad reach, out-of-school programs have been identified as a promising area for promoting healthy habits and preventing childhood obesity.
 
However, there has been variability in the quality of foods and beverages served and opportunities for physical activity offered to children participating in out-of-school-time programs.
 
Recognizing this opportunity for action, leaders from the nine ChildObesity180-affiliated organizations identified and agreed upon three sustainable, actionable principles that are sufficiently flexible for adaptation to local environments and cultures. They are:
 

• Drink Right:  Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Move More:  Boost movement and physical activity in all programs.
• Snack Smart:  Fuel up on fruits and vegetables.

 
“Aligning these nine organizations with unifying principles ensures that the tens of millions of children who participate in out-of-school programs are consistently encouraged to eat and drink healthfully and to be active, regardless of where they spend their time out of school,” said Dr. Christina D. Economos, associate professor at Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and director of ChildObesity180.  “ChildObesity180 and its partners are committed to pursuing these kinds of results-oriented strategies that are innovative and ambitious and that champion the best interests of children and their futures.”
 
In addition to developing the framework for these principles, the Healthy Kids Out of School initiative will also develop a comprehensive implementation plan to connect organizations with the local resources needed to help adopt the principles.
 
Healthy Kids Out of School is one of several major initiatives that ChildObesity180 will execute to combat childhood obesity.  ChildObesity180 has elected to focus on four initial strategic priority areas, each of which addresses existing opportunities in current obesity prevention efforts and has the potential to significantly improve children’s health.  The priority areas include children’s access to healthier food, physical activity, food marketing to children, and eating away from home or at restaurants.
 

About the National Urban League

National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 the National Urban League – headquartered in New York - and the National Urban League Policy Institute – headquartered in Washington D.C., spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, nearly 100 local affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, provide direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
 

About ChildObesity180

ChildObesity180 fosters cross-sector collaboration to reverse the trend of childhood obesity within one generation’s time. Charter members are national leaders from the public, nonprofit, academic, and private sectors who are using their reach and expertise to drive an integrated national strategy of high-impact initiatives to prevent childhood obesity.  ChildObesity180 is chaired by Peter Dolan and directed and co-directed by leading obesity researchers Christina Economos, PhD, and Miriam Nelson, PhD, of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Founded in 2009, ChildObesity180 is conducted in collaboration with Tufts University; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation serves as a core strategic partner of ChildObesity180.  For more information, visit www.ChildObesity180.org.