A local health group has joined forces with Rutgers University to offer four virtual sessions this month to promote nutrition and exercise among children in Sussex County.
Parents of county students may have enroll in the “We Can!” program, which is offering 60-minute sessions free of charge beginning at 10 a.m. every Monday in October. The program name, which stands for “Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition,” is part of a National Institute of Health initiative that encourages healthy eating and exercise to reduce the rate of childhood obesity.
The first three sessions in the program will be led by Kourtnie Fedele, a Rutgers graduate nursing student, as part of the requirements for her nurse practitioner doctorate degree.
The Sussex County Child Health Crisis work group, founded in 2013 to combat the child obesity issue locally, invited Fedele to give parents a fresh perspective on the importance of practicing good wellness habits.
Monday’s introductory session will include the basics of nutrition, addressing portion sizes that Fedele said have been “grossly distorted” over the past 20 years. The second and third classes will focus on healthy alternatives to eating, such as giving children water instead of sugary drinks and promoting physical activities such as taking a 30-minute family walk after dinner.
Fedele said the latter activity can be particularly beneficial amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people are eager to get out of the house and return to some semblance of normal life.
“Not only is it good for your physical health, it’s good for your mental health with everything going on,” she said.
Jennifer Salt, of Zufall Health’s SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) initiative, will host the fourth session in the program, which will include ideas for quick and healthy family meals and feature a live cooking demonstration by Salt.
Elections:List: Ballot drop boxes in Sussex County
Schools:Sparta HS shuts down sports until Oct. 5 after multiple athletes test positive for COVID
Health:‘Grave increase’ in Sussex County opioid overdoses this year, prosecutor says
The sessions were originally scheduled to be held in-person for parents in the Sussex-Wantage school district — where Deb Fisher, leader of the Sussex County work group, formerly served as school nurse — before COVID-19 changed those plans. Now, the program is open to everyone in the county, and Fedele has created a website featuring various resources relating to childhood obesity.
“It has a very different feel now, so I’m trying to make it as interactive as possible,” she said.
Fedele said she hopes parents will tune in for at least the first three sessions, if not all four, which organizers have incentivized with several prizes available for attendees.
Each session will feature three giveaways: a nutrition gift bag, a physical activity gift bag and a basket of fresh produce from LocalShare. In addition, parents who attend all sessions and complete two short surveys before and after the overall program will be eligible to win one of three grand prizes: a new set of pots and pans and two $50 ShopRite gift cards.
The issue of childhood obesity has taken on increased importance during the coronavirus pandemic. Fedele said many families are operating on a tighter budget and are now more likely to buy fast food instead of healthier, more expensive products. And as Fisher has previously noted, researchers have identified obesity as a potential risk factor in contracting the virus.
“It’s kind of crazy how much this is affecting everybody in all aspects,” Fedele said.
Fedele said she hopes to see an increase in signups before the program begins on Monday, as nurses in numerous school districts are working to encourage parents to attend. She wants the sessions to be a “safe space” to ask questions as she and the Sussex County work group adapt to a unique form of instruction.
“It’s not at all what either of us predicted, but we’re going to try to make the best of it,” Fedele said with a laugh.
To enroll in the We Can! program or for more information, email Kourtnie Fedele at kmf220@sn.rutgers.edu or visit www.sussexcountywecanprogram.com.