Wellness Campaign for
Jewish Day Schools
OVERVIEW
The epidemic of weight gain and obesity among children and adults continues to grow and take a dramatic toll on our nation’s health. Close to 70% of all Americans are either overweight or obese. Obesity is quickly overtaking smoking as the country’s leading cause of preventable death and is now among the primary risk factors for heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and even cancer.1
In children, excessive weight gain can be a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and sleep apnea, in addition to a host of social and psychological issues. Discrimination, teasing, stress and low self esteem can significantly impact academic and behavioral functioning both in school and in the home. Overweight children are highly likely to become obese adults.
Unfortunately, the Jewish community is not immune to this epidemic. In fact, according to a 2004 study in Chicago, weight gain and obesity trends among Jews parallel the national average and are sometimes even greater amongst children.2 With Chicago having the fifth largest Jewish population in the U.S., it’s probable that these statistics are mirrored in other metropolitan areas as well.
OBJECTIVES:
SOVEYA seeks to raise awareness, stress the urgency, educate and provide practical tools to assist Jewish children and families in addressing the growing rate of weight gain and obesity. The Campaign will use the school as a primary vehicle to disseminate and implement various strategies designed to create an improved wellness environment both at home and in the classroom.
STRATEGIES:
Newsletter for parents and teachers offering a Torah perspective on health and nutrition, as well as current news, information and practical advice
Topics include:
• Providing multiple sources in halacha and hashkafa citing the Torah’s extensive approach to proper health, nutrition and the prohibitions against overeating and misusing food
• Understanding Chazal’s outlook regarding eating on Shabbos, Yom Tov and simchas
• Supplying relevant and doable food plans, menu suggestions and recipes geared specifically for the time constraints and varied challenges facing today’s Jewish homemaker
• Sharing the latest medical and nutritional news on the various dangers of weight gain and obesity and specific risks associated with foods such as sugar and certain flour or high carbohydrate products
Seminars and workshops for students, educators and parents
Topics include:
• Understanding the basic guidelines of sound nutrition, including portion control and healthy, consistent food choices
• Learning to spot the beginnings of compulsive eating tendencies, even for families with no current or prior history of weight issues
• Suggesting a comprehensive approach to changing behavioral patterns with food
• Providing and helping to implement measurable plans to substitute non-food rewards as incentives for academic achievement and to scale back on the abundance of junk food and sweets used in school and at home
• Identifying the physical, emotional and financial toll weight gain and poor health causes children and families
• Developing an awareness and practice of enjoying food on Shabbos, Yom Tov and simchas without overeating
• (note) these topics will also be addressed in the newsletter during the course of the school year
Confidential counseling for individuals and families struggling with compulsive eating, obesity and weight-related issues
Create a working coalition representing parents, teachers and administrators helping to encourage and sustain positive nutritional changes in the school
Develop a network with other schools that are implementing Wellness Campaigns in order to share best practices and help build momentum to create a change in attitudes and practices surrounding sound health and nutrition in schools and homes across the country
ANTICIPATED GOALS:
(some, or all will be applicable for any particular school)
1) Remove soda and/or vending machines from common school areas
2) Introduce nutritious snacks and meals in place of junk food at all school-sponsored events
3) Observe significant upturn in healthy snacks and lunches being brought in from home
4) Institute “approved snack list” and distribute to all households
5) Have zero-tolerance policy for children bringing in “unapproved” foods and drinks
6) Establish “Children’s Lifeguard Campaign” whereby students receive points toward prizes for completing checklist of healthy behaviors, e.g. eating nutritious breakfast, going to sleep on time, exercising daily, etc.
7) Non-food rewards and prizes distributed by Rebbeim and teachers in place of candy and junk food for academic and behavorial incentives
8) Practical nutrition education offered as part of standard curriculum
9) Proper nutrition modeling by educators and administrators in terms of the food they bring in to school
10) Supervised physical activities ensuring all students are engaging in a minimum amount of exercise
11) Create incentives for parents attending and participating in nutrition workshops and activities, as well as end-of-year programs rewarding students excelling in “Lifeguard Campaign”
11) Engage shul Rabbis to participate in Wellness Campaign, substituting nutritious snacks for candy and sweets often handed out during Shabbos and Yom Tov
12) Introduce community-wide “Healthy Kiddush Campaign” to encourage serving nutritious food and fruit during simchas
13) Periodic lectures by top Rabbis stressing the Torah approach to healthy nutrition and the importance of maintaining one’s health
COSTS:
Underwrite campaign (per school) - $1,000*, which includes:
1) Use of newsletter for entire school year (with name of school and donor on front)
2) First visit to school by Rabbi Glaser offering initial seminar/workshops and ongoing coordination of other chosen strategies
Each additional visit to school - $500*
Confidential counseling – charged on case-by-case basis
*not including travel expenses; all donations to SOVEYA are tax deductible
FOOTNOTES:
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
American government researchers said that obesity is quickly overtaking smoking as the country's number one killer. In fact, obesity is becoming such a problem that many experts now say it is compromising all the benefits of recent improvements in health care and medical breakthroughs.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary, Tommy Thompson said 'Americans need to understand that overweight and obesity are literally killing us. We need to tackle America's weight issues as aggressively as we are addressing smoking and tobacco.' – reported by Medical News Today, March 9, 2004.
2 Findings from the Chicago Jewish Community Health Survey, conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Survey Research Laboratory in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, reveal that 54% of children ages 2 – 12 are overweight, including 26% who are obese. In fact, a Jewish child in West Rogers Park is approximately twice as likely to be obese as the average American child. One in three young girls in this community is obese. In addition, the obesity rate among 2 – 5 year olds is three times higher than the national average.
The survey uncovered specific areas of concern related to diet, physical activity, and health beliefs. For example, 33% of the children in the target community eat baked goods such as donuts, cake and cookies at least four times a week. Also, parents had trouble recognizing weight problems in their children – 76% of the parents of overweight or obese children said that their child was “about the right weight.” Local service providers, parents, administrators and Rabbis reported that other factors contributing to the obesity epidemic in this community include: the lack of physical education in most of the schools these children attend, the high number of school-based parties in which unhealthy snacks are served, and the families’ perceived lack of time and financial resources to choose healthy alternatives.
In the words of Rabbi Gedaliah Schwartz (head of the rabbinical court of the Chicago Rabbinical Council) upon hearing the findings, “We are killing ourselves and we need to do something about it.” The extent of this problem, as well as a recognition of the long-term consequences of being overweight, led individuals to consider obesity the most compelling health problem in the community.
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