NYSUT program encourages healthy student habits 24/7

PICTURED: NYSUT Officer Richard Iannuzzi talks about the new health lifestyle program 24-7 Let's Go! with students in Genevieve Stinson's first grade class at School 14 in Troy, New York. 5,000 students in public schools across the state are participating in the pilot program developed by NYSUT's Health Care Professionals Council.

The following appeared in the March 16 edition of New York Teacher, the official NYSUT publication.

Sitting cross-legged among first-graders, NYSUT Officer Dick Iannuzzi, a former elementary teacher, was in his element.

"Here are two things to remember when it comes to good health - exercise and healthy eating," Iannuzzi told the class, holding aloft a copy of New York State United Teachers' colorful 24/7 Let's Go! pamphlet. On the bulletin board was proof that the students took his words to heart. Colorful fruit and vegetable and sneaker stickers adorned the classroom's 24/7 Let's Go! poster.

"I do 100 pushups a day," boasted 8-year-old Marquis Thompson, a sticker and exercise fan. Not to be outdone, Charles Wescott, seven, remarked that he has replaced junk foods and sugary drinks with a new favorite: apples. "My mom helps me by telling me what to do and putting my stickers on my chart," he explained.

Iannuzzi visited Genevieve Stinson's class at School 14 in Troy to launch a pilot of 24/7 Let's Go!, the initiative from the NYSUT Health Care Professionals Council to encourage schoolchildren to put down the Play Station, rise from the couch and adopt healthier lifestyles. Her class is part of a test run, offered initially to 5,000 public school students statewide.

The Troy Teachers Association member has incorporated aspects of 24/7 Let's Go! into her curriculum since October. "I've been encouraging them to bring in water to drink and we do some kind of physical activity before we transition from one classroom activity to another," she said. A favorite is "mountain climbing," where students bend over onto their palms and pump their legs in a running motion. The incentives are a hit.

"Anything to do with stickers is highly motivating to a first-grader," Stinson chuckled.

NYSUT's Health Care Professionals Council developed 24/7 Let's Go! after recent reports hammered home the point that today's children exercise less and eat more junk food than ever before.

"As educators and health care professionals, we have a responsibility to help children build healthier minds and bodies," said Anne Goldman, a New York City nurse who chairs NYSUT's Health Care Professionals Council.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 16 percent of children and teens between the ages of six and 19 are overweight, triple the number reported in 1980.

"This isn't just about helping kids who are already overweight," said Iannuzzi. "24/7 Let's Go! is aimed at helping every child develop a healthy lifestyle."

Sticker mania

Physical activity earns "action" stickers. Eating wholesome foods like fruits and vegetables garners "happy food" stickers. Students display their daily stickers on a month-long 24/7 Let's Go! chart. Participants receive a calendar with stickers, a parental guide and a magnet for hanging the calendar on the home fridge. The goal is to have students do and eat seven good things, seven times a day, seven days a week, explained Iannuzzi.

"This program is fantastic because it draws kids' attention to their activity level," said Troy TA President Seth Cohen.

- Kara E. Smith