Active Kids
- Eat Smart / Move More Program
- Active Kids Coalition
- Benefits of increasing physical activity
- Unplug & Play
- What schools should do
- Handbook for volunteers and staff working with kids
- Non-school hours
- At home
- Community resources
- Child and Nature Network
- Healthy Built Environment
- Other resources
- Let's Move Missoula - Follow-up info from Summit to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Fe. 2012
- Missoula Measures - community health data
- Contact information
The Missoula City-County Health Department is working to improve health by encouraging children and youth to increase their physical activity.
Inactivity and increasing overweight are both problems in Missoula County and nationwide. Active Kids is a local response to the nationwide problem. The increasing number of overweight and inactive children has been described as a crisis and an epidemic. Many factors have combined over time to create this problem, and many strategies need to be in place affect change.
Physical activity - Missoula
Overweight & obesity concerns - Missoula
Joint use of public lands and facilities
NEWSLETTERS
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Eat Smart / Move More Program |
A Health Department program started in 2002 to improve health by promoting physical activity and healthier food choices for all Missoula County residents.
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Active Kids Coalition |
The Missoula Active Kids Coalition is made up of individuals, agencies, businesses and organizations committed to enhancing and increasing kids’ physical activity.
Founding members: Missoula Parks & Recreation, YMCA, University of Montana, Forum for Children & Youth, Missoula City-County Health Department
Missoula Active Kids meets quarterly. The general public is invited.
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NEXT MEETINGS:
October meeting has been postponed -
January 10, 2013 1:30-3:00 Locations to be announced. |
PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
April 2012
December 2011
March 2011
December 2010
September 2010
June 2010
March 2010
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Benefits of increasing physical activity |
Aside from meeting national recommendations for children to be physically active twice as much as adults (60 minutes a day at a minimum), there are other important benefits linked to physical activity. These include:
- Improving ability to cope with the challenges of growing up
- Childhood development tasks
- Increasing ability to learn and do better in school
- Improvement of symptoms linked to stress, depression, and other mental health concerns such as ADHD
- Short and long term physical health benefits
- Burning more calories
- Connecting with social world & environment
- If outside, can help in connecting with nature (No Child Left Inside)
- Playing with other children, learning social skills (in some cities there are special classes to teach children how to play)
- Learning about getting around and geographical distances and locations
- Reducing screen time
- Real life knowledge and experience
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Unplug & Play |
Unplug & Play - Unstructured, imaginative play is crucial to a child's brain development. Find ways to reduce screen time (TV, computer, games) and increase physical activity.
The news about children and screen time continues to be discouraging. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over the past five years, there has been a huge increase in media use among young people:
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8-to18-year-olds average a total of 7.5 hours every day on media of some sort, with 10.75 hours of media content due to multitasking.
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Youth who spend more time with media report lower grades and lower levels of personal contentment.
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What schools should do |
NASPE five recommended focuses (National Association for Sport and Physical Education):
- PE
- Recess: elementary - 20 minutes
- Walking or biking to school
- Recreational sport and play that occurs before, during and after school
- Classroom-based movement: high school aged - dance
CATCH Program - a healthy eating educational program for elementary school children.
BMI reports for Missoula 3rd Graders
2011
2010
2009
The body mass index (BMI), is a statistical measurement of the
relationship of a person's weight and height. Though it does not
actually measure the percentage of body fat, it is used to estimate a
healthy body weight based on a person's height. Due to its ease of
measurement and calculation, it is the most widely used diagnostic tool
to identify weight problems within a population, usually whether
individuals are underweight, overweight, or obese.
Report on Physical Activity of Missoula County Youth - March 2008, a special report on 2nd through 12th grades.
Take Ten! - a national program that describes creative ways to integrate physical activity in to any classroom curriculum.
National Guidelines for Physical Activity - for physical education, PE teachers and coaches - National Association for Sports and Physical Education
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Non-school hours |
Missoula Flagship Program - a school and community partnership that provides free skill-building activities to Missoula youth during non-school hours. It is many Missoula area schools.
Missoula Forum for Youth & Children - an alliance of prevention coalitions, agencies, and individuals with the goal of helping the community grow healthy and resilient children and youth.
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At home |
Physical Activity & Your Daily Dose - How much physical activity do we need? What are the benefits? What are some easy ways to get it?
Other things you can do At Home.
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Community resources |
- Missoula Parks & Recreation Department
- Bike Walk Alliance of Missoula (BWAM)
- Missoula YMCA
- Forum for Youth and Children
- Stroller Strides - an exercise class for Moms with small children.
- Families First - Children's Museum; parenting programs
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Child and Nature Network |
Child and Nature Network - why children need nature and how to access nature in your own neighborhood. Free monthly family activities.
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Other resources |
Strategic Alliance - an alliance addressing healthy practices and policies in government and corporate environments.
Eat Smart, Move More - North Carolina - tips, strategies, resources and interactive tools to help people get on the right track to maintaining a healthy weight, including a body mass index calculator, an "Ask the Expert" section, and a discussion board.
We Can! - Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition, a national movement designed to give parents, caregivers, and entire communities a way to help children 8 to 13 years old stay at a healthy weight. National Institute for Health
Urban design can increase physical activity: A study was done in Bozeman, MT to record use changes after modifying a rural road to include bike lanes and sidewalks. Video taping recorded pedestrian and bicycle use before and after the modification of Babcock Road in 2005. After modification, combined pedestrian and bicyclist use increased 256%; bicycle use increased 247%;and pedestrian use increased 273%.
Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle Choices - for all ages
Using The World Around You - for all ages, to be healthier and more active.
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Related Missoula Measures - community health data |
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Contact information |
| Active Kids Coordinator: | Mary McCourt |
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| Phone: | 406-258-3895 |
| Fax: | 406-258-3992 |
| Email: | mmccourt@co.missoula.mt.us |
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