Our Approach
There is no single cause to the childhood obesity epidemic and no single solution. That is why the Alliance works across the board – with schools, health care, industry, families, communities, and kids, themselves – to make physical activity and healthy eating easy for kids to access.
Healthy Schools Program
Research suggests that a healthier school environment can result in greater academic achievement, improved student and staff attendance and healthier lives for students and staff.
The Healthy Schools Program supports more than 6,000 schools across the United States in their efforts to create environments where physical activity and healthy eating are important and accessible. The Healthy Schools Program receives the majority of its funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support schools in states with the highest rates of obesity. Any individual who cares about healthy schools can make a difference and access free resources by joining the Healthy Schools Network online at any time at www.HealthierGeneration.org.
Industry Initiatives
Serving as a catalyst for businesses to become a part of the solution for childhood obesity, the Alliance engages with companies from diverse industries that have the ability to improve the access kids and families have to healthcare benefits and healthier foods and beverages.
The Alliance Guidelines for School Beverages and Competitive Foods, voluntary agreements with the food, beverage, dairy and food service management industries initiated in 2006, have resulted in healthier choices available to students in schools across the country – including a 58 percent decrease in total beverage calories shipped to schools between 2004 and the 2008 school year.
The Alliance Healthcare Initiative is a collaboration with major health insurers, employers and national medical associations to provide children access to at least four follow up visits with their primary care provider and at least four follow up visits with a registered dietitian each year. The Alliance Healthcare Initiative currently provides the benefit to almost one million children nationwide, and plans to grow that number to more than six million by 2012.
empowerMe Movement
Kids have a greater influence over other kids than we can ever have as adults. That is why the Alliance launched the empowerME Movement, a by kids, for kids initiative to inspire all kids to make healthy behavior changes and to become advocates in their communities for healthy eating and physical activity. The Alliance collaborates with leading youth-development, youth-service and community organizations to engage, educate and activate kids in the Movement. More than 2.1 million tweens and teens have joined the empowerME Movement and made a commitment to their health by visiting online at www.empowerme2b.org.
PROFILE
After losing a lot of weight, 16-year-old Anjelica Chickara now is serving on the Youth Advisory Board as part of the empowerME movement of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Read her story, and watch Anjelica talk about making her school healthier.
