Students walk to California and back with “Steps 4 Sussex”

NEWTON - The Center for Prevention and Counseling recently completed a pedometer-based walking initiative for over 200 county children. The “Steps 4 Sussex” prevention program was organized through the Sussex County Partnership for Healthy Adolescents, a program derived of the center, and worked with four county schools: Frankford, Wantage, Halsted Street and St. Joseph’s in Newton, as part of a campaign created to address the national obesity epidemic. The latest statistics from the Center for Disease Control report that over 17 percent of adolescents are overweight. Combined with a lack of regular physical activity, obesity causes premature health problems such as high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and high cholesterol levels. New research also indicates that for the first time in our history, this generation of children will have a shorter life-expectancy than their parents, because of obesity-related illness. The “Steps 4 Sussex” program participants from fifth through eighth grades were each given a pedometer and a specially-created personal journal to log their daily/weekly steps. The initial week provided their “baseline total” number of steps, which they had to beat. Working with each school’s adult advisors, the students’ goal was to try to reach 10,000 steps each day, for a minimum three days per week, over an eight to twelve week period. (The motive being that 10,000 steps equals approximately 5 miles.) The Center staff monitored each school’s progress with weekly visits for technical assistance and to distribute colorful, “kid-friendly” health and nutrition tips. The Partnership also provided various incentives throughout the program to keep students motivated. One included a large wall map of the USA that was given to each school, so the students could total their steps every week, transfer them into miles, and track how far their school had collectively “walked across America” by the program’s end. The results were as follows: 55 students from Wantage School walked 3,027 miles to San Francisco, Calif.; 60 students from St. Joseph’s School walked 3,545 miles to California and back to Las Vegas, Nev.; 80 students from Frankford School walked 6,152 miles, to California and back again to N.J., and 10 students from Halsted Street Middle School walked 464 miles, all the way to Cleveland, Ohio. A “Steps 4 Sussex” certificate awards ceremony to recognize their achievement was held at each school in the spring, along with a final evaluation and “health diploma” graduation ceremony in June. “The youngsters responded very well to the program,” said Sharon Chamberlain, coordinator for the partnership. “They really enjoyed participating and were surprised to see how easy and fun it could be. Many said it inspired them to join sports teams later and to encourage their family members to walk/exercise with them. It was great to collaborate with the schools and we thank them for working the program into their schedules. Not only did it address health, nutrition and physical education, but the kids were able to utilize their math and geography skills as well.” For more information, call 973-383-4787 or visit the Web site at www.centerforprevention.org.