By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Community Connection: Training Lay Responders For Disaster
    Community Connection: Training Lay Responders For Disaster
    April 14, 2019
    How Healthcare Organizations Can Improve Data Security
    September 28, 2020
    4 Car Accident Injury Tips To Get The Compensation You Deserve
    November 2, 2021
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Person-Centered HealthCare: Prevention Starts in Kindergarten
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Person-Centered HealthCare: Prevention Starts in Kindergarten
NewsPublic HealthWellness

Person-Centered HealthCare: Prevention Starts in Kindergarten

Jennifer Bragg
Last updated: July 12, 2013 8:22 am
Jennifer Bragg
Share
6 Min Read
preventative care
SHARE

preventative careEditor’s note: Jennie Bragg is one of our guest contributors and will be contributing regular exclusive posts for the series Person-Centered HealthCare.  Jennie is a former CNN producer, currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health at the University of Southern California.)

 

preventative careEditor’s note: Jennie Bragg is one of our guest contributors and will be contributing regular exclusive posts for the series Person-Centered HealthCare.  Jennie is a former CNN producer, currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health at the University of Southern California.)

 

More Read

My HIMSS Prescription for Basic Survival and Optimal Enjoyment
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
Musings on 2012 Health IT
The Healthcare Hashtag Project: #Ebola
The Correlation Between Home Hygiene And Resident Health

Remember when kids walked or rode their bikes everywhere- to school, to a friend’s house, to dance class or football practice? In 1968, 48 percent of school-aged children walked or rode their bike to school. By 2009, the number of kids commuting to school by bike or on foot had declined to 13 percent.

“The childhood obesity epidemic occurred in the last 30 or so years.  In the same time frame, there was a decline in kids walking or biking to school,” says Dr. Jason Mendoza, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “That leads us to believe that, perhaps, the decline in walking and biking to school may be contributing to the rising rates of obesity.”

According to the CDC, the number of overweight children in the U.S. has increased by 68 percent in the past 30 years. Mendoza notes that the rising rates of obesity in the United States can be attributed to a variety of different factors, but he and his former colleagues at Baylor University in Houston, Texas set out to measure what, if any, impact walking to school has on elementary school children.

The researchers recruited 4th graders from 8, low-income Houston schools to participate in a walking school bus person-centered healthcareprogram. On a walking school bus, students walk to and from school chaperoned by parents or other volunteers who can ensure the safety of the kids.

Kids who live within a mile of their elementary school are picked up along a specified route by the adult “driver” and the walking bus is followed by a “conductor.” Similar to a standard school bus, it has bus stops and regular pick up times.

“It is kind of like a carpool, only you leave your car at home and you pick up children at their home or at a designated stop along the route,” says Mendoza. “If you have enough parents or other adults involved, you may only have to walk the kids once a week.”

Mendoza and his team were able to show that rates of active commuting, such as walking or biking to school, increased by 30 percent in the schools that implemented the walking school bus program. Not only was there an increase in active commuting, but there was also increase in the children’s daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. In control schools, active commuting decreased by 8 percent throughout the school year.

A portion of the funding for this research came from the National Cancer Institute. “They are very interested in and committed to preventing and reducing obesity in the population at large because it is a risk factor for multiple different types of cancers,” says Mendoza.

Kids are not the only ones who have quit moving and put themselves at risk. Adult Americans have grown increasingly sedentary over the past few decades, mostly due to improvements in our transportation and communication systems. And as our physical activity declines, so does our health. The CDC reports that nearly 80 percent of Americans do not get the recommended amount of exercise each week.

A study in The Lancet last year found that one in ten deaths worldwide are due to physical inactivity. Researchers concluded that a failure to spend just 150 minutes on physical activity each week led to about 6 percent of coronary heart disease cases, 7 percent of Type 2 diabetes cases, and 10 percent of breast and colon cancers.

Getting up and moving each day can also aid in the prevention of diseases like osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

According to Mendoza, keeping our kids healthy and active is the best tactic for creating a nation of healthy, active adults. “By tackling this issue in childhood, the strategy is to prevent kids from becoming obese,” says Mendoza. “Obese children and adolescents become obese adults and once obesity is established it can be very difficult to address. If you can prevent it, it is much more cost effective and doesn’t take quite as much intensive intervention to address it.”

If you like this post, please read other posts in the series on the Person-Centered HealthCare main page. And if you have a story to tell that may be a fit with our series, please comment below or email me at joan@socialmediatoday.com

Sources:

http://saferoutesinfo.org/sites/default/files/resources/NHTS_school_travel_report_2011_0.pdf

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/3/e537.full.pdf

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2961031-9/abstract

 

image: schoolkids/shutterstock 

 

TAGGED:Person-Centered HealthCare
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

FDA Warning Letter Highlights Disconnect Between Regulator and Biotech Industry

December 5, 2013
Image
Medical InnovationsNews

Focused Ultrasound Used in New Tumor Detection Technique

May 31, 2012
personal injury lawsuit medical bills
NewsPolicy & Law

Why People in Texas File Injury Lawsuits to Cover Medical Bills

May 20, 2024

Supreme Court Goes Beyond Individual Mandate

November 15, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?