Be Active North Carolina Launches at Underwood Elementary
Posted: 09-08-2009 : RALEIGH, N.C.

MORRISVILLE, NC –Be Active North Carolina (Be Active) has developed and is launching Just Push Play, a statewide school intervention program that will get kids moving more than ever in schools. The program’s ultimate objective is to change school culture so that physical activity is the norm, not the exception. Because healthy students are successful students, physical activity at school is an academic imperative.

Nearly half of North Carolina’s children do not get the recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Aside from significant health benefits, many studies demonstrate that fit students have fewer school absences and perform better academically. Physically active students are also more focused with fewer discipline problems.

Underwood Elementary is one of six NC schools where Just Push Play is launching thanks to the support of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and a contribution in honor of Kathy Higgins from the John Rex Endowment for its Hands of Health Award. Be Active expects ten to twelve North Carolina schools to be participating in this program by the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

“We are so excited about the launch of Just Push Play at Underwood. Balancing a rigorous and stimulating academic environment with an environment that supports health and wellness creates a unique opportunity for students to be their best,” says Jacqueline Jordan, Principal of Underwood Elementary. “Not only will our children be physiologically geared to reach their fullest potential while on campus, but they are also beginning a lifetime of healthy habits that will improve their overall well- being for years to come.”

To fund Just Push Play, Be Active North channels corporate dollars into local schools.

Just Push Play offers schools and communities resources needed to get kids moving and ultimately reverse declines in physical activity, boost academic performance and diminish the health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles. The program engages students, teachers, school staff, parents and others in the community.

Through the program, Be Active North Carolina’s experts will help school communities develop a school wellness committee and create a comprehensive plan to integrate physical activity into the daily routines of students, teachers, and administrators.

“Thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund, Be Active has trained 41,000 teachers in implementing physical activity into the classroom and after school programs; Just Push Play provides substantive new support to help schools make this happen,” says Laurie Stradley, director of programs for Be Active. “Just Push Play is practical, outcome-oriented, comprehensive and flexible enough to be successful within most schools’ curriculums and resource parameters.”

Depending on school need and resources, the following components of the Just Push Play program may be applied:

• A multi-media physical activity program that enhances student, staff and community activity levels and well-being.
• A pedometer-based walking program that enables students and teachers to measure their movement in school and out.
• Heart-rate monitors that teach students about fitness, their bodies and how they react to exercise.
• Online tools that bring physical activity to life; available for use in the classroom, in the gym or at home with family.
• Classroom-based physical activity programs that generate activity within the
• classroom while children are learning.
• After-school programs that bring community volunteers onsite for students, staff and family members.

Other notable facts about physical activity in North Carolina schools

• 89 percent of parents polled believe that physical activity is important in schools; only 3 percent believe it is not. Data from the Child Health
• Assessment and Monitoring Program from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics.
• Children are 600 times more likely to develop heart disease if they do not engage in physical activity on a regular basis according to a study commissioned by Be Active and based on data captured in the 2005 NC Youth Risk Surveillance Survey.
• North Carolina has the 12th highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 28.3 percent and the 14th highest of overweight youths (ages 10-17) at 33.5 percent, according to a new report by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
• North Carolina state law carries no mandate for any physical activity in grades K-8, not even physical education classes.
• At the high school level, North Carolina state law mandates only 1 year of physical education.
• North Carolina’s HEALTHY ACTIVE CHILDREN state board policy provides recommendations for physical activity in schools, but has no funding to mandate or enforce its policy recommendations.

“Be Active North Carolina is delighted to be able to roll this program out with six schools statewide at the start of the 2009 school year,” says Jodi Hubble, director of development and communications for Be Active. “We will continue working with the business community to raise funds for expanding school participation throughout the year. With broad community support, we’re optimistic about improving activity levels and health for thousands of North Carolinians this year, despite historic budget cuts. We’re optimistic and we’re committed.”

About Be Active North Carolina
Be Active North Carolina, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing physical activity levels and promoting healthy lifestyles among all North Carolinians. Since 1991, the organization has worked to increase public awareness of the effects of physical inactivity, build grassroots advocacy and volunteerism, create model statewide programs, and advocate for policies that reduce barriers and create opportunities for physical activity. Located just outside Research Triangle Park, it operates programs in each of the state’s 100 counties. To learn more about Be Active North Carolina and its programs, please visit www.beactivenc.org.