Community health initiative kick-off
When: 4 p.m., Saturday, April 23
Where: Sequim Civic Center, 152 W. Cedar St.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Healthy Community Coalition is bringing health to the forefront of community goals.
The coalition plans to introduce the framework used to decrease chronic disease and improve the health of citizens across their lifespan on Saturday, April 23. The health initiative Ready, Set, Go 5210! is a nationally recognized, evidence-based approach to health centered on five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, two hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour of physical activity and zero sugar-sweetened beverages.
“The 5210 initiative is about changing the culture of a community toward wellness, rather than just another program,” said Monica Dixon, Healthy Community Coalition co-chairman, registered dietitian and health psychologist. “We are excited to join with the 5210 work already being done in Kitsap and Pierce counties.”
At the kick-off Clallam County Health Officer Chris Frank and Dixon will present the benefits of 5210. Attendees will receive tools and activities on how to incorporate the initiative, local restaurant Nourish will serve light, healthy snacks and entertainment will be provided by the Sunshine Girls, Living Fruit and Vegetables guys.
Unlike in Kitsap and Pierce counties where the 5210 targets specific age groups, the smaller size of the Sequim-Dungeness area allows the initiative to be applied community-wide, Dixon said.
“The idea is to incorporate 5210 where we live, learn, work and play,” she said. “It’s an integrative approach.”
By uniquely applying 5210 to six sectors (community, after-school programs, schools, worksites, daycares and health care) of the community, coalition members hope to provide the tools necessary to spur a cultural shift toward health.
For example, she said, as part of the “community” sector restaurants should provide a 5210-friendly meal option for both youth and adults.
Or, as part of the “health care” sector local doctors could prescribe 5210 to patients — a technique already in use in Kitsap County. Among the sectors, Dixon points to daycares as probably the most “critical” because that’s where many behaviors are set.
Participation
Prior to the Ready, Set, Go! 5210 community kick-off, the initiative is gaining traction.
In mid-March the Sequim City Council unanimously supported a resolution supporting Ready, Set, Go! 5210 as a countywide initiative to combat childhood obesity by promoting access to healthy food and physical activity.
In April and May of 2013, staff at Helen Haller Elementary School tested 285 students in grades 3-5 for obesity using FitnessGram, the official assessment of the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. What they found was that the cumulative percentage of obese and overweight youths was 32.6 percent, slightly above the national average.
“It surprised me,” school district nurse Sonja Bittner said.
The Sequim School District Board of Directors is looking to update the district’s Policy No. 6700 (Nutrition and Physical Fitness). The board was briefed on Ready, Set, Go! 5210 on April 18 and responded positively.
Like the school district, fellow coalition partners are preparing to integrate 5210. Staff at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club have been trained in 5210 and are working toward implementation.
As 5210 is interwoven across the community, coalition members will monitor the effort and its effectiveness, Dixon said. First, the level of engagement will be tracked, such as number of Facebook likes and people spoken to by 5210 proponents like Dixon during community or company presentations. Secondly, the number of policy and/or environmental changes made in response to 5210 will be recorded, like the city’s resolution or the removal of a soda vending machine at a worksite.
Lastly, within five years coalition partners plan to use the county’s health data to determine whether the health initiative is being reflected county-wide.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Healthy Community Coalition is a collaborative effort among local organizations to make the area a healthier place to live. Members include the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, City of Sequim, Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services, Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic, Molina Health Care, Nourish, Olympic Community View Foundation, Olympic Medical Center, Sequim Food Bank, Sequim School District, the Shipley Center and the Olympic Peninsula YMCA.
Reach Alana Linderoth at alinderoth@sequimgazette.com.
