Childhood Health

4-H'ers Learning to Live Healthier

In response to the alarming statistics on childhood and adolescent obesity, Bleckley County 4-H has joined Georgia 4-H in an effort to educate youth about living a healthy lifestyle. This is the third year for the effort with fifth grade students and the second year with seventh grade students. During monthly club meetings, students receive a health related lesson. In fifth grade, 180 students have explored the new food pyramid, learned to start their engines with a healthy breakfast, enjoyed eating the high five way, learned that they can bank their bones at this age by eating calcium, and learned more about the benefits of exercise. A healthy lifestyles poster contest was conducted at the end of the year. A "most nutritious" award was added to the popular "4-H Bake-Off" to encourage healthy entries. About 175 seventh graders were given an owner's manual for their body and explored nutrition as well as the importance of exercise. The South Central Health District awarded 4-H a grant to conduct "Fit Families," a program attended by fifth grade students and their parents and grandparents. Weight and height screenings and blood pressure screenings were offered. Food projects are popular among Bleckley County Junior and Senior 4-H'ers due to emphasis placed on this issue. Teachers are excited about the information students are gaining from these lessons. Twelve Bleckley County 4-H'ers have "mastered" in foods and nutrition projects in the past 10 years. Three of these 4-H'ers have become registered dieticians and another is currently studying diatetics at UGA. (2006)

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