Showing posts with label Advocacy Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocacy Project. Show all posts

Monday, May 4, 2009

Advocacy Project: Environmental Learning Activity: Little D The Dragon!

Little D The Dragon Exercise



Purpose: This activity could be used in schools to help children to understand the food pyramid and the five food groups. This goes with the bill for Nutrition and Obesity, because eating a variety of nutritious foods has led to decreased risks of heart disease and childhood obesity. This activity is very colorful and inviting to school aged children. Try it out!


Instructions: Click here, then click on "How to Play". Read instructions and do the activity.


Here is an image of the Food Pyramid:










Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Official


April 28, 2009

Senator Amy Klobuchar
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Klobuchar,

I am writing to you to inform you of a topic that has recently been brought to my attention. Obesity is one of the number one health problems in our society today. I believe that the key to managing this problem is proper nutrition and exercise. We cannot force people to exercise, but we can provide healthier food options for citizens to choose from. Many citizens today do not have the proper knowledge on nutrition and eating healthy, which leads to obesity. Even though resources are scarce to support healthy habits, I believe that by us making healthy choices more available, we will create a healthier lifestyle and environment.

By supplying healthier options in schools and restaurants, we could really improve this problem. Although this could effect tax payers who would have to pay for these healthier foods in schools and restaurants, those tax payers would also benefit from the change by eating healthier foods. People who would really support this bill are parents of children in school, farmers who are growing these healthy options, doctors, dietitians, and citizens alone who are seeking to live a healthier lifestyle.

I believe that by simply passing the H.RES.274 bill, a great start would take place. By signing this bill, obesity could be reduced a great deal. This bill supports the month of March as National Nutrition Month. Education is key to increasing awareness and knowledge of this topic. We need to set good examples for our children now and in the future, so that they have the knowledge and confidence to live healthy lifestyles. Living a healthy lifestyle can be done, and I think that passing this bill will make our children's future brighter as well as our own.

You should really think about supporting this bill with a YES, because to my understanding you are a supporter of a healthy environment. By eating healthier foods, also helps out in keeping our environment healthy. Providing healthier options and more varieties of whole grains, fruits and vegetables will be a great start in the fight against obesity!

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions that you may have at 221-223-8876. I would be happy to inform you with any extra information that you may need. I would also be willing to be an advocate for this issue as much as possible. I would also like to thank you for all the positive things you have done for our state and country.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Katie Nash
111 Bloggers Ave
Green Rules, MN

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Overview of Goal 19: Nutrition and Overweight


For my advocacy Project, the goal I chose is Goal 19: Nutrition and Overweight, but I decided to pick a different bill because I feel very strongly about nutrition and this topic interested me more.

The bill from THOMAS that is related is:
 
S.581: A bill to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the excluion of combat pay from income for purposes of determining eligibility for child nutrition programs and the special supplemental nutrtion program for women, infants and children.
Sponsor: Sen Bennet, Michael F
Committees: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Latest Major Action: 3/12/2009 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
My political representativeSen. Amy Klobuchar


How I would vote on this....
I would ask for a vote of YES for this bill because it is very important that our society starts off with healthy eating habits starting with the elementary setting, rather than learning how it affects your health later in their lifetime.
Who is affected by this issue?

Those who are affected by this issue?
Those who are most affected by this issue are children and their families.  If parents/guardians do not set examples from the start, children will develop poor eating habits that will be hard to break as they grow older. Knowledge is the key thing in preventing disease and weight problems, which is then associated with wellness and overall quality of life. Those who will be negatively affected by this issue will be the government and tax payers who are paying for these programs to promote healthy eating and lifestyles.

Consequences of the issue?
The positive effects of this issue will be healthier children, which will then lead to a healthier society overall. When children are practicing healthy habits in school, they will then take those skills home to their families and the knowledge will be passed on to their families as well,making the family healthier as a whole as well. Learning healthy lifestyles at an early age will prevent health problems later in life, which at the same time could cause a negative effect in the health field when they will not be needing to purchase medical care as much.

Economic and social impact?
Economic impact would be that taxpayers and government would have to dish out money for these school based programs. Healthier foods tend to be more expensive, which causes our society to opt out for the cheaper, less healthy items today. Many taxpayers who do not have elementary aged children could be opposed to this bill, while many who do have elementary aged children will be positively benefiting from this action. Social impact will be there will be a healthier flow in elementary schools which will cause many schools to be healthier as a whole when it comes to disease and illness.  Throughout the school day, germs and illnesses are spread very easily from child to child.  Knowledge on being healthy will help build immune systems so the illnesses and diseases can be reduced in schools. This leads to a better social stand.

Barriers?
Once again a strong barrier would be money needed to fund these programs and healthier food options in schools.  Also, there will be many people who do not want to put in the effort to start these programs.  There will need to be teachers and committees who are willing to put in extra time to implement and evaluate these programs.

Resources?
Resources for this issue would be time and people who are willing to put effort into these programs. There would need to be lots of extra time beyond the work day to work on setting goals and implementing these goals.

History of Issue?
Much has been done since the rising of this issue appeared. In 2004, President Bush passed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. This act states that to provide children with increased access to food and nutrition assistance, to simplify program operations and improve program management, to reauthorize child nutrition programs, and for other purposes. Basically the main point of this act is to make sure there are healthy options for kids to chose when picking out their own meals and snacks at school, and also easing the process for low income families as well.

Allies and Opponents?
People who would support this issue would be parents/guardians of children, teachers,governmental authorities, doctors, and children themselves. Opponents of this issue would be tax payers who would have to pay more, school officials who might have to put in more time at work, and children who might think this issue is non beneficial and boring.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Advocacy Project:Healthy People/Thomas

Goal: Improve health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity.

According to the Progress Quotient Chart, 7 out of 10 objectives have moved towards the target, with 3 out of the 10 objectives moved away from
 the target. The objective with the highest progress percentage of 28 was objective 28-11 (Increase the proportion of adolescents who view television 2 or fewer hours on a school day).  The objective with the least amount of progress was objective 22-6(Increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day 5 or more days per week).

Objective 28-11: Increase the proportion of adolescents who view television 2 or fewer hours on a a school day.

Target:75%
Baseline: 57% of students in grades 9 through 12 viewed television 2 or few hours per school day in 1999.
Target Setting Method: Better than the best.
Data Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System(YRBSS), CDC, NCCDPHP


Progress, Disparities, Opportunities and Challenges, and emerging issues:

Gains were made among students ages 9-12 for objectives addressing physical activity during physical education class. The proportion of adolescents who limited television viewing 2 or fewer hours on a school day increased from 57% in 1999 to 62% in 2003, achieving 28% of the targeted change and moving towards its target of 75 percent. The suggestion that was made physical activity is socially unacceptable for kids ages 9 through 12. This evidence explains the decrease in vigorous physical activity among this population group. The progress toward eliminating health disparities shows that the more education and knowledge there is on this topic, the more the increase in percentages of phys
ical activity there will be.   After the emergence of the automobile in the 20th century, physical activity has decreased rapidly in numbers.  Physical activity and fitness were a essential part to daily life and cultures in the areas of transportation, occupation, and even maintaining a home and family life. Gender, education, Location and Disability play a major role in physical activity. The group with the best rate for physical activity is male, and white(non-hispanic) population. 

There are a couple emerging issues for this topic.  First, technology has been explored to promote action on this topic including: pedometers, heart rate monitors, and motion detectors. Motion detectors have been used for population assessment. These provide the opportunity to 
to track population progress. Also, public health practictioners are working towards providing more access to suitable locations for physical activity such as walking/biking/hiking trails. By doing so, physical activity will be more reasonable to access.

Politcal Representative: Amy Klobachar


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

AND HERE THEY ARE...............


President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington,DC 20500

Comments:202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461





231 Federal Building
Duluth, MN 55802
(218)727-7474





302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3244


Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651)296-3391


585 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St.Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-2228



75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol Building, Room G-9
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
(651)296-4188


Mayor's Office
Room 402, 411 West First Street
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 730-5230







Thursday, January 29, 2009

Introduction

Hey! Welcome to KatieKares4Environment! My name is Katie Nash and I am a senior at UMD. I am majoring in Health Education with a psychology minor. I am very interested in Environmental Health and how our ecological footprint affects the earth. I am excited to get to know everyone and to read everyones thoughts and ideas! Thanks for visiting my blog.. PEACE and LOVE



There are 5 possible types of posts on my blog. They include:

  • Advocacy Project
  • Eye Openers
  • Reflections
  • Reviews
  • Share and Voice

My Web Group Members include:

Abbey @
Abbey E's Environamental Endeavors
Ingrid @
Ingrids Al Fresco
Ben @
Ben's Virtual Ecosystem
Autumn@
Autumn's Atmosphere
Sara J. @
A leaf of Sara's life

This is a weird looking bug I saw in Mexico!