The Fitness for Life Around Grant County coalition has been awarded a three-year grant of $364,000 from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to support its efforts to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in the county by increasing opportunities for physical activity and improving nutrition. With matching funds from Grant County residents and businesses, the initiative will total more than $500,000.
Funding will be used to improve opportunities for children to be physically active by building walking and bike paths, sidewalks, playgrounds and parks; and to improve children’s diets by giving them more access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Today’s children could be the first in U.S. history to live sicker and die younger than their parents’ generation. Lifestyle and institutional changes in recent decades make it difficult for children to eat a healthy diet and be active,” said Rick Skinner, chair of FFLAG. “Our children need access to affordable healthy food, and safe, convenient places to play. This grant will further support efforts to accomplish both and improve the health of Grant County youth.”
Many children in Grant County are overweight and do not get the recommended amount of daily physical activity. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey found that only 30 percent of Grant County youth had gotten the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity five days per week.
While most Grant County children begin school at a healthy weight, by 10th grade more than 35 percent are clinically obese, according to body mass index measurements collected by Grant County and Williamstown Independent school districts. The county’s high poverty rates and lower income rates contribute to the problem.
Grant County is one of seven communities to receive funding through the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Investing in Kentucky’s Future grant program. The $3 million statewide initiative is designed to improve the health of Kentucky’s children by engaging in communities and testing innovative strategies. The program includes funding for both planning and implementation. Grant County received a planning grant of $21,643 in 2013-2014, which helped shape the activities in the current grant.
“This grant is a first step in making lifelong changes for our youth,” said Skinner. “We’ll start by focusing on improving physical environments and policies in Grant County schools, and then move the initiative to the broader community in future years. The goal is to reduce the impact that chronic diseases, like obesity, have on Grant County residents. If not addressed, chronic diseases can reduce our quality of life and lead to an early death.”
The Investing in Kentucky’s Future grant ties closely with FFLAG’s mission. The coalition began in 2002 with concerned teachers who noticed the rising trend of obesity among their students. Since then, FFLAG has implemented physical activity campaigns such as Get Up, Get Out, Get Fit; the Biggest Winner Challenge; and the Walktober campaign, and holds the Derby Dash 5K run/walk each spring. FFLAG’s activities engage more than 2,000 people per year.
For more information about FFLAG, click here. For information about the Investing in Kentucky’s Future grant program, click here.
From the Northern Kentucky Health Department