Fighting childhood obesity

In 2005, North Penn Community Health Foundation (NPCHF) committed $1 million dollars over several years to reduce childhood obesity in the greater North Pennsylvania region.

The foundation selected Health Promotion Council (HPC) as its partner to launch Wellness Initiative for the School Environment: Smart Nutrition and Activity Collaborative (WISE SNAC).

NPCHF is seeing the positive impact of its investment on the region through a decrease in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-aged children and adolescents. In 2012, 28 percent of school-aged children in the region were overweight or obese – a 2 percent decrease since the launch of the WISE SNAC initiative in 2005.

WISE SNAC aims to reduce childhood obesity by fostering collaboration among elementary schools and community partners, providing training and capacity-building opportunities and supporting the development of policies, practices, and environments that encourage healthy eating and physical activity.

After eight years, and countless successes in supporting student health and wellness initiatives in the greater North Penn Community of Montgomery County, WISE SNAC concludes its programming.

Since 2005, WISE SNAC has partnered with the North Penn, Souderton Area, and Wissahickon school district to create healthier schools. Some of the accomplishments include:

Improved the school food environment

Increased opportunities for physical activity before, during, and after school

Increased access to resources and professional development opportunities for school staff to integrate healthy eating and physical activity into the school day

Enhanced partnerships, leveraged resources, and disseminated consistent messaging among community organizations

As a result, an increasing percentage of students, caregivers and school staff are adopting healthier habits like eating a nutritious breakfast every day, consuming more fruits and vegetables, consuming less soda and sugary beverages and engaging in more physical activity. Most notably, however, is the decline in prevalence of overweight and obesity among students, supporting the notion that environmental support for healthy habits can help to turn the tide in the fight against childhood obesity.