Happy Friday! Today I attended a meeting for the Duval County Child Obesity Prevention Coalition and I wanted to share a little bit about my experience.
Jacksonville has a big problem with poverty, poor nutrition, obesity, and infant mortality in the urban core area (Downtown, Springfield, etc..) and there are many groups trying to get together to help solve the problem. The children of our city are highly impacted by these issues as well as a lack of availability of fresh produce and safe places to play. All of this leads to poor health and obese children, which in the long run will result in higher health care costs due to higher rates of chronic disease and the possibility that this generation will be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Concerned yet? I certainly am!
Something I had to wrap my mind around was how bad this problem truly is and how it is knocking on our doors. I am from a smaller city in Southwest Florida that is by many measures a well-to-do city with lower instances of these types of problems. Add that to the fact that I had been sheltered from issues such as food insecurity or child obesity due to my upbringing and you have one shocked, sheltered, suburban girl. Luckily for me, I now know the problem exists and I have a vested interest in doing something about it. We all do. One of my professors once said that obesity is not an "Us and Them" problem, it's OUR problem. It's not just Jacksonville either, its everywhere.
So what are the contributing factors? Well for starters, we have people living in urban areas that are miles away from a grocery store or mega-mart and without transportation to get to a store that sells fresh produce. Corner stores are much more prevalent in these areas and if you've ever tried to find a healthy option at a corner store then you know where the problem lies. It's a lack of accessibility and availability. Another problem is a lack of education about healthy food. Many schools don't have the funding for nutrition educators to come in and teach kids how to make healthy snack choices or what it means to have a healthy meal. Not only do kids not have the education about healthy choices, but they don't even have physical education anymore! More and more schools have taken recess and physical activity out of the curriculum to be replaced by more classroom time. Kids need exercise and if they don't have a safe neighborhood to play in, they need to be able to play at school! All of these are BIG problems in our communities that are leading to BIG and unhealthy kids!
What can I do? That was the question I asked myself after leaving the coalition meeting this morning. What can I do, what can WE do? We can start by learning about the problem and understanding the need. We can visit our local farmer's markets that reach out to our struggling communities and help by funding their efforts. We can have a conversation with the farmers and ask them about their community programs, if they donate extra food, etc... Hey, you get some great produce in the process! We can donate money, time, or food to our local food pantries and find out more about the communities they serve. If your child has a school garden, volunteer some time to help maintain it and take that opportunity to teach your child about where healthy food comes from. You don't have to be a policy maker to change the community. You just have to do a little something!
I base my healthy lifestyle on realistic goals and my busy schedule, which means sometimes I won't be able to do as much hands-on as I would like, but the key to making a difference is finding even a small way that you can help. Always start small and you will be amazed how big your impact can be!
If you are interested in getting involved with the efforts here in Duval county here are some great resources and information articles! If you don't live in Duval, reach out to your health department and see what information is available.
Second Harvest North Florida
Jax 2025
Florida Farm to School
Health Zone One Residents Urged to Get Moving and Eat Healthy
Note: If you're really looking to make change on the policy level, write your representatives about childhood nutrition and obesity in your area. For my fellow Florida residents: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/
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