[ education ]
Keys for a Healthy Future
JESSICA CRINER KEYS 4 HEALTHYKIDS
KEYS 4 HealthyKids ( KEYS ) is a grant-funded childhood obesity prevention initiative that has been serving West Virginia children , families and communities since 2009 . Through policy , systems and environmental changes , KEYS is on a mission to make the healthy choice the easy choice in the Mountain State .
Rising childhood obesity rates are a national epidemic , and West Virginia is no exception to the trend . According to the State of Childhood Obesity , 21.9 % of West Virginia children ages 10 to 17 and 16.5 % of children ages 2 to 4 , who participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women , Infants and Children , are considered obese .
In the mid-2000s , Jamie Jeffrey , M . D ., FAAP , noticed an increasing number of pediatric patients presenting with dietrelated diseases , like high blood pressure , pre-diabetes and abnormal lipids . After developing community partnerships and receiving grant funding for a communitybased project , KEYS was founded to advocate for the health and wellness of West Virginia ’ s children and promote best practices for pediatric obesity prevention and intervention .
Currently , KEYS ’ work is focused on two primary sectors for intervention : child care and clinical-community linkages .
The Earlier , the Better is an initiative funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation that utilizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s ( CDC ) Spectrum of Opportunity framework to create positive change in child care settings in relation to obesity prevention . The initiative concentrates on intervention and recognition , professional development and child care policy . This work includes partnership on the West Virginia Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care designation and the implementation of West Virginia ’ s first central kitchen — a shared service for child care providers that delivers healthy meals made from scratch . KEYS also emphasizes Farm to Early Care and Education — an initiative aiming to help children learn about food — and offers garden trainings and annual pop-up farmers markets for kids , where children at selected child care centers receive vouchers to purchase locally grown produce at an on-site market .
KEYS is currently working with medical practices to offer various programs to improve the health of its patients . One of these programs is the 5210 Rx Program , which is based on the healthy habits of 5-2-1-0 : eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day , consume two hours or less of recreational screen time per day , get one hour of physical activity per day and drink zero sugary drinks . As part of this program , patients are seen monthly to make goals based on the 5210 Rx Program and can receive fruit and vegetable prescriptions — where participating medical practices can prescribe a fruit and vegetable prescription to patients who can then cash the prescription in for a produce box — as well as physical activity and water incentives . KEYS also offers free cooking classes and medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian to participating patients . KEYS partners with other organizations , such as the West Virginia University Extension Family Nutrition Program , to offer free nutrition and physical activity classes .
In addition , KEYS established a clinical-community collaborative comprised of members from the clinical , public health , community and health insurance sectors to connect clinics with communities by providing better access and resources to both medical clinics and families . KEYS also hosts a monthly live Zoom webinar for providers and health care professionals called Project ECHO for pediatric obesity . These webinars are designed to increase knowledge regarding the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and offer free Continuing Medical Education credit .
KEYS is dedicated to making West Virginia ’ s children — the future leaders of the state — healthier . Through countless efforts , the initiative works to support kids and their families in making better choices each and every day . KEYS could not succeed without the support of its current funders , including the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation , SNAP-Ed Connection , West Virginia Bureau for Public Health and CDC High Obesity Program . A collaborative community effort toward one common goal is the key for success and enacting positive change . •
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE