Tag Archive for 'Childhood Obesity'

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Childhood Obesity Leadership Part of Nationwide Pediatric Partnership Launch

Published on July 12, 2012 in BCBSNC. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Your plan for better healthSM1
News Releases

For Immediate Release
June 9, 2010
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Childhood Obesity Leadership Part of Nationwide Pediatric Partnership Launch
·         National program to build on BCBSNC pilot, materials
·         The Good Health Club Physician Toolkit SM Newest Blue Cross and Blue Shield Effort to Curb the Rise in Diabetes
·         BCBSNC will give new tools to physicians statewide to fight childhood obesity, diabetes
·         Briefing webcast from National Press Building, Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today announced the national launch of the Good Health Club Physician ToolkitSM to combat childhood obesity and diabetes. The toolkit, first developed and piloted in five states including North Carolina, will be made available to pediatricians throughout North Carolina and communities around the country.
The physician toolkit was built on materials successfully used by BCBSNC and developed in consultation with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  The toolkit is available in both English and Spanish and containstip sheets, wall posters, physician reference materials, tracking sheets,and brochures with educational information.
The Good Health Club Physician Toolkit features messages from the “Good Health Club,” a group of animal characters that encourages children to:
·         Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day
·         Limit screen time to 2 hours or less per day
·         Get at least 1 hour of physical activity per day
·         Limit sweetened drinks to 0
Dr. Don Bradley, senior vice president and chief medical officer at BCBSNC, said at the news conference, “It’s worth every effort to open doors for discussion between doctor, parent and child – to make a difference in the lives of our children, to help them learn the practice of healthier eating habits, good nutrition, and getting more exercise. We’re pleased that our early concepts with our own toolkit contributed tothe Good Health Club Physician Toolkit. The toolkit distributed nationally will take the fight against childhood obesity to a new level by providing pediatricians with essential tools to encourage lifelong healthy living habits for America’s youth.”
Dr. Edie Bernosky, Chapel Hill pediatrician, provided her views on the importance of these tools in counseling patients, “As a practicing pediatrician in North Carolina, I have seen the value of using the toolkits provided by Blue Cross. I find it helpful in opening conversations on the difficult subject of childhood obesity and diabetes. Quality tools like this are extremely helpful to physicians and families in encouraging healthy lifestyles.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the last two decades type 2 diabetes (formerly known as adult-onset diabetes) has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing frequency. One in three U.S. children born in 2000 could develop diabetes during their lifetime and the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has pioneered a wide variety of programs in our community focusing on healthy lifestyles dating back to 1999. Healthy Lifestyle Choices, a lifestyle modification program, provided customers with tools and support to achieve and maintain healthy weight.  In 2005, BCBSNC became one of the first insurers to classify obesity as a medical condition and cover nutritionist visits. Since 2007, the company developed model toolkits to help families exercise regularly and take charge of managing their overall health and well-being.
A just-released compendium – Commitment to the Next Generation of Healthy Americans – details how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and other Blue companies are leveraging local partnerships to build, design and support programs that target obesity and diabetes prevention.
To view the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit and for more information about what the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are doing in their communities to combat childhood obesity and diabetes, please visit www.bcbs.com/goodhealthclub
 About BCBSNC:

BCBSNC Foundation Grant Drives More NC Produce to More NC Students

Published on July 7, 2012 in BCBSNC. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

News Releases

May 15, 2012
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation has invested $1.2 million to expand the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Farm to School Program in response to the growing problem of childhood obesity in North Carolina. The grant provides funding for five new refrigerated tractor-trailers, increasing the distribution of local fruits and vegetables to 35 additional school systems statewide.“This expansion of the Farm to School program provides even more students with healthy, North Carolina-grown options, nutrition education and helps children connect their food to the farms where it grows, which are all important steps in preventing and reducing obesity,” said Kathy Higgins, BCBSNC Foundation president. “Our state’s child nutrition services focus on health and quality for our students and local, fresh food is an important component.”

In addition to the tractor-trailers, the grant supports a three-year Farm to School marketing initiative to teach children about what is being served in their school cafeteria, where it is grown, how to make healthy food choices and the importance of a healthy diet, as well as raise the profile of the Farm to School program among school systems across the state. Access to healthy food and the education to make smart choices are more important than ever as one in three children in North Carolina is obese or at risk of becoming obese.

“North Carolina school children are not the only beneficiaries from the expansion of the Farm to School program. Local farmers also benefit by serving the increasing number of schools receiving farm-fresh food,” said Steve Troxler, North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture. “More North Carolina school children will receive fresh produce, more often. And farmers will increase their customer base. The expansion of this program is a win for our entire state.”

NC Farm to School has been supplying North Carolina school cafeterias with locally grown produce since 1997. Last year the program served more than 900,000 students almost 1.4 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Farm-fresh produce is provided throughout the school year and includes apples, blueberries, broccoli crowns, cabbage, cantaloupes, collards, cucumbers, peaches, romaine lettuce, squash, sprite melons, strawberries, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons and zucchini.

For more information, follow @BCBSNCFound and @NCAgriculture on Twitter or visit the Farm to School program website atwww.ncfarmtoschool.com External link.About NC Farm to School
The NC Farm to School Program was formed in 1997 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Food Distribution and Marketing divisions to develop a system for schools across the state to receive fresh produce grown by local farmers. All school districts in North Carolina have the ability to be part of the Farm to School Program.

About the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides services that promote and improve agriculture and agribusiness, protect consumers and businesses, and preserve farmland and natural resources for the prosperity of all North Carolinians.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is a separate, independent, nonprofit Foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians. The Foundation’s focus areas include: Health of Vulnerable Populations External link - improving health outcomes of populations served by safety net organizations; Healthy Active Communities External link - increasing physical activity and encouraging healthy eating habits; and Community Impact through Nonprofit Excellence External link - increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations.  BCBSNC Foundation invests programs and services in response to grant requests and proactively creates initiatives or partners with organizations to address specific needs. It also coordinates several Signature Programs, among them, the Be Active Kids® and Healthy Community Institute for Nonprofit Excellence. More information is available at www.bcbsncfoundation.org External link. Since its founding in 2000, the BCBSNC Foundation has invested $80.5 million into North Carolina communities through more than 600 grants.

BCBSNC launches new program to fight the rise of childhood obesity and diabetes

Published on June 22, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) have recently introduced the national commencement of the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit to fight obesity and diabetes. This toolkit, which was initially created and tested in five states including North Carolina, will become accessible to pediatricians in North Carolina and communities throughout the U.S. The toolkit was designed with materials that were used with great results by BCBSNC and augmented in consultation with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The toolkit is obtainable in both English and Spanish and is composed of tip sheets, physician reference materials, wall posters, tracking sheets and brochures with educational information.

The Good Health Club Physician Toolkit presents messages from the “Good Health Club, ” which is a group of friendly animal characters that motivates children to:

* Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day

* Curb screen time to 2 hours or less each day

* Exercise at least 1 hour each day

* Eliminate sweetened drinks

Dr. Don Bradley, senior vice president and chief medical officer at BCBSNC, and Dr. Edie Bernosky, Chapel Hill pediatrician, are both pleased and optimistic about the new program.

In the last 20 years, type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) has been reported among U.S. children and adolescents with increasing incidence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in three U.S. children born in 2000 could get diabetes during their lifetime and the pervasiveness of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, rising from 6.5 percent in 1980 to an astounding 17 percent in 2006.

Since 1999, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has developed an assortment of programs in our community that focus on healthy lifestyles. The lifestyle modification program, called Health Lifestyle Choices, gave customers the support and instruments they needed to reach and maintain a healthy weight. In 2005, BCBSNC converted into one of the very first insurers to label obesity as a medical condition and cover nutritionist visits. Since 2007, they have augmented model tool-kits to assist families in getting routine exercise and taking control of managing their health and well-being.

To take a look at the Good Health Club Physician Toolkit and to get more information about what the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are accomplishing in their communities to fight childhood obesity and diabetes, please visit www.bcbs.com/goodhealthclub.

Speakers at health conference address childhood obesity problem

Published on July 29, 2009 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , .

On July 28, educators and health officials got together to discuss the problem of childhood obesity in North Carolina.

For overweight 10 to 17-year olds, North Carolina ranks No. 14. For example, in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools alone, 1 in 10 high school students is obese. Also, 57 percent of CMS high school students don’t get the recommended levels of physical activity.

Being obese can cause heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. The N.C. State Board of Education’s senior policy adviser for healthy responsible students, Paula Collins, said that we are in an epidemic.

The event was hosted by IMPACT Childhood Obesity hosted the event. It is a North Carolina-based organization that supports child and adolescent wellness. J. Allen Queen, one of the founders of IMPACT and a UNC Charlotte professor, said that the main goal of the event is to get the schools and community to pay attention to the problem.

The State Board of Education does work with legislators to encourage physical activity, healthy eating and positive character building in middle and high school students. Public school cafeterias are also offering healthier food choices for students such as whole wheat pizza crust, vegetables and low-fat dairy items.

Paula Collins said “if you can maintain the weight during middle school because of the growth they go through, they’ll be fine later in life.”

Free lunches and daily physical education classes for all students are some of the legislative goals.

The first African American to break the four-minute mile record, Reggie McAfee, talked about his 3-year-old Cross Country for Youth running program. There are more than 250 kids who participate in McAfee’s 10-week after-school program which main focus in character building. The runners in the program exercise every day and compete in 4 statewide races. McAfee said that “physical activity helps prevent children from being obese.”