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LiveHealthyPA News 3rd Quarter 2018

Healthy Living Practice Highlight

Walking Wednesdays

Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions that includes blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.

With Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 Community Education and Workforce Services offices being in the Mifflin County area, prone to harsh winter weather temperatures and conditions, the wellness committee decided to bring walking indoors.

“Walking Wednesdays” was implemented to provide physical activity indoors for staff during the colder weather months. Every Wednesday a 15-minute walking video by Leslie Sansone is played over the various lunch breaks. A 15-minute walk provides a change to get a mile in and still have time for lunch.
Submitted by Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11, “Walking Wednesdays” is a great example of incorporating physical activity into your day despite obstacles like time, weather and resources.

For more information, review the Walking Wednesday Healthy Living Practice.

Back to School Safety

As the first day of school is approaching or perhaps it already passed the following are a few safety tips on keeping our children safe as they get to and from school.

Walking to School: According to Safe Kids Worldwide, every day, 44 children are hit by a car in the United States. Distractions are everywhere see the tips to keep safe while walking to school:

Pay attention to where you are walking. Put down devices and remove headphones.
Cross at the corner of the street and always look left, right, left before crossing
Walk on the sidewalk when available, if there isn’t a sidewalk, walk facing traffic.

Biking to School: For some children the preference is biking to school. Parents, make sure to remind children to always wear a helmet and know how to put it on correctly. Safe Kids recommends taking the Helmet Fit Test:

EYES check: Position the helmet on your head. Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form a "V" under your ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
MOUTH check: Open your mouth as wide as you can. Do you feel the helmet hug your head? If not, tighten those straps and make sure the buckle is flat against your skin.

Don't forget - bicycles are required to follow the same rules of the road as motorists.

Riding the School Bus: Kids should play it SAFE when it comes to buses:

Stay five steps away from the curb
Always wait for the bus driver to tell you to board
Face forward after finding a seat on the bus
Exit the bus when it stops, look left-right-left, and take five steps away from the bus toward the curb.

Riding a Car: Booster seat vs Seat Belt: Generally, children will need a booster until they are 4’9″ tall, which will be between 8 to 12 years old. To ride without a booster, a child needs to be able to pass the 5 Step Test:

Sits all the way back against the vehicle seat.
Knees bent at the edge of the vehicle seat and feet on the floor.
Shoulder belt fits evenly across the collarbone and sits flush with the torso.
Lap belt is low on the hips, touching the tops of the thighs.
Can stay comfortably seated this way the entire ride.

Child Passenger Safety Week is September 18-24, 2018. Check to see if your local Safe Kids Coalition or Partner will be hosting an event to get your car seat properly fitted. Don’t want to wait for an event check your local police station to schedule an appointment or go during one of their walk in days.

Driving to school: Make sure your teen is ready to drive to school. Explain the difference in traffic and pedestrians. Discuss the different types of distractions that can occur within the car. Follow the Pennsylvania Young Driver Law.

For more safety tips and information please visit the Safe Kids PA and American Trauma Society PA Division websites.

Back to School Vaccinations - HPV

The beginning of fall means visits to the doctor’s office for back to school vaccinations and sports check-ups, and is the perfect time for adolescents to start or complete the HPV vaccination series. HPV infections cause over 17,000 cancers in women and over 9,000 cancers in men each year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Pennsylvania, HPV rates are the lowest of the three vaccinations recommended for adolescents aged 11-12, and are much lower than the Healthy People goal of 80% coverage. Per the 2017 National Immunization Teen Survey, the completed vaccination rate for Pennsylvania is 58% for females and 44% for males, for a combined total of 51%.

The majority of oral and throat cancers are caused by the HPV virus, and in Pennsylvania the incidence rate of oropharyngeal cancers is now higher than that of cervical cancer. Vaccination is the most effective means of prevention for these cancers, and a strong provider recommendation continues to be the most effective method of increasing vaccination rates. Just like learning algebra and participating in extracurriculars helps adolescents develop the knowledge and skills they will need in adulthood, timely completion of the HPV vaccination series NOW will provide the protection they need for the future.

For more information visit the HPV Vaccination Toolkit

E-cigarettes

Back to School Without E-cigarettes

students-reported-using-JUUL-in-classrooms-1 As kids return to school this fall, new materials have been developed by the CDC for parents and other youth influencers (e.g., teachers, coaches, faith leaders, health care providers) to provide accurate and up–to–date information about the risks of e-cigarettes among young people. These materials specifically focus on e-cigarettes that are shaped like USB flash drives that are growing in popularity among school–aged kids.

Parents and teachers – share the following video to increase education about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes on the adolescent brain: “Any Volunteers? The Risk of E–Cigarettes for Young People”.

E-cigarettes shaped like a USB flash drive have a battery-powered device that heats a nicotine-containing liquid to produce an aerosol that is inhaled. Additional information about USB-shaped e-cigarettes and actions that parents, educators, and health care providers can take to protect kids is available at CDC’s Infographic

Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens and Young Adults

A single USB-shaped e-cigarette can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes, according to manufacturers. The high concentration of nicotine is highly addictive and is a serious concern for youth, who are already uniquely susceptible to nicotine addiction. The addictive potential is so high that the US Surgeon General has declared that youth use of nicotine in any form is unsafe. News outlets and social media sites report widespread use of USB type e-cigarettes by students in schools, including classrooms and bathrooms.

Know the risks of e-cigarettes for kids.

Have you seen your kid’s USB flash drive lately? It could actually be an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) containing nicotine. E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle and high school students, and USB-shaped e-cigarettes are increasing in popularity. As parents prepare to send their kids back to school, take time to learn more about the dangers of e-cigarettes for young people.

International Walk to School Day

Start the School Year on the right Foot! Celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 10

Walking to school used to be a thing of the past but many schools today are pushing to make it more available to youth nationwide. Celebrate Walk to (or at) School Day on October 10 and become part of an international effort to create safer and improved walking routes, promote healthier habits and conserve the environment. If school-based physical activity is more your speed, consider classroom physical activity breaks instead. These 5 to 20 minute sessions allow students to increase their heart rate, have a mental break and refocus on the next task. Learn more about Northern Tioga School district’s program to increase student activity levels during the school day.

Help communities take a step in the right direction and stay active all year long with these resources:

PA biking routes
WalkWorks routes
INFOGRAPHIC - Bicycle safety tips
INFOGRAPHIC - 7 pedestrian safety tips
Step-by-step Walk To School Day guide

Classroom physical activity breaks

Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been scientifically shown to benefit individuals and those around them. From our families, to friends, to the people we work with and the organizations we work for, all benefit from each of us being present in the moment: mindful.

Two school districts in Pennsylvania have implemented mindfulness interventions in their schools.

Easton Area School District introduced the Shanthi Project for meditation and mindfulness at the Paxinosa Elementary School’s K-1 classrooms. Teachers noticed and reported students to be more relaxed and focused. Students were better able to recognize, express, and understand their feelings as well as the feelings of others.

For more information Easton Area School District’s mindfulness project, view their Healthy Living Practice submission on LiveHealthyPA.

Towanda Area School District implemented classroom-based interventions at the J. Andrew Morrow Primary School. Teachers reported that students have shown improvements in: Behavior, concentration/focus, positive mindset, readiness to learn, peer relationships, dealing with stress/anxiety, respect for self, others, and school. Students with poor emotional-coping respond positively to mindfulness techniques. They have shown less anger and improved self-awareness and regulation skills.

For more information Easton Area School District’s mindfulness project, view their Healthy Living Practice submission on LiveHealthyPA.

National Apple Month

Crunch into a TastyAppleCrunch Celebration on October 24

Did you know October is National Apple Month? Celebrate with Apple Crunch on October 24 to encourage youth and families to eat apples, and apple products (applesauce, juice and cider) as a healthy snack – they’re snack-tastic! Looking for ways to partake in Apple Crunch with Penn State PRO Wellness? Visit http://bit.ly/applecrunchactivity to download FREE kid-friendly printable activity sheets and crafts for the entire family to celebrate the festivities, or bite into these tasty ideas for apple-centric meals, snacks and desserts:

• 11 apple recipes
• PA orchards
• How to choose
• How to core