Marie-Claude Thibault, MBA, RDPublic Health Nutritionist

Ottawa Public HealthApril 21, 2008

Ottawa’s Healthy Active Schools

Partnership

Ottawa’s Healthy Active Schools

Partnership

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Healthy Active SchoolsHealthy Active SchoolsProgram Overview

Goal Structure Implementation

Partners in Nutrition Education School partnerships

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Healthy Active Schools

Program Overview

Healthy Active Schools

Program Overview

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GoalGoal

“To enable children to make healthy choices about food and physical activity on a daily basis, which will reduce their risk for developing chronic diseases and provide them with the skills to develop healthy food and activity behaviors for life”

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Why Partner?Why Partner?

• Evidence of rising rates of childhood obesity, decreasing physical activity levels and unhealthy eating behaviours prompted us into action.

• Education and health sectors accomplish more working together than separately.

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Why schools? Why schools?

School environments provide opportunities to improve health behaviours.

Parents Students School staff

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StructureStructure

• Co-ordinating Committee

• Steering Committees

• Healthy Active School Teams

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Co-ordinating CommitteeCo-ordinating Committee

OPH partner Program Manager Supervisor Project Lead

Education partner Education consultant Program consultant

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Steering CommitteesSteering Committees Healthy Active School Team Reps

School administrator Lead teacher Parent

Ottawa Public Health Reps PHNs Physical Activity Nutritionist/dietitian

Co-ordinating committee members

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Healthy Active School TeamHealthy Active School Team

• School administrator• Lead teacher (others if interested)• Parents• Students• Public Health Nurse

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Participating SchoolsParticipating Schools

Phase 1 ( 2005-2006) Phase 2 (2006-2007) 5 schools 10 schools 2 English school boards 2 English and 1

French school boards

Phase 3 (2007-2008) Phase 4 (2008-2009) 35 schools 58 schools All 4 school boards All 4 school boards

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What Schools Need?What Schools Need?• Funding• Resources• Expertise• Time• Support• Champion

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What OPH Can ProvideWhat OPH Can Provide

• Seed funding

• Public health nurses

• Expertise

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ImplementationImplementation

• Public health nurse meets with school staff

• Recruit the champions in the school

• Form a Healthy Active School Team

• Brainstorm ideas on how to create a supportive and fun environment for healthy living.

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Factors for SuccessFactors for Success• Timing• Commitment• Funding• Human resources• Flexibility• Starting with small changes and

build on what already exists

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EvaluationEvaluation

Effectiveness of approach

Conducted focus groups and surveys to steering committee members

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Key Evaluation ResultsKey Evaluation Results Flexibility and need-based design is

essential for schools. PHN crucial link between education

and health and by supporting, facilitating and consulting with schools.

Schools value the Steering Committee meetings as they provide an opportunity for networking and sharing.

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RecommendationsRecommendations Engage students, staff and parents

early on in the planning. Identify and build on policies that

support healthy schools at the school board level.

Seek funding that would ensure sustainability and expansion.

Strengthen and build new partnerships on a broad and local scale.

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Healthy Active Schools

Partners In Nutrition Education

Healthy Active Schools

Partners In Nutrition Education

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Enhancing Healthy Eating And Nutrition KnowledgeEnhancing Healthy Eating And Nutrition Knowledge

• Identify ways to increase healthy eating opportunities in the school

• Solicit community partnerships• Recruit volunteers to assist• Institute programs to increase

healthy food choices and education

School teams develop their workplan and focus on ways to:

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School / OPH PartnershipSchool / OPH Partnership

Objectives: Grade 4 students learn how to evaluate the quality of the food choices in their lunch box. They then can become active in encouraging their parents to provide healthy choices in their lunch.

Teachers receive:• Lesson plans complementing the curriculum

• Student activity sheets • ‘Rate your Lunch’ self-evaluation tool

• Nutrition resources for parents

Healthy Lunch ProgramHealthy Lunch Program

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Healthy Hot MealsHealthy Hot Meals

School / OPH PartnershipSchool / OPH Partnership

Objective: Improve the nutritional content of the hot meal programs available in schools.

Public health dietitians provide expertise to schools in reviewing their hot meal programs, and suggest healthier alternatives upon needed.

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Fruit for Friends Program- partnership with a local grocerFruit for Friends Program- partnership with a local grocer

School / Community Partnership

School / Community Partnership

Objective: Provide a fruit to students that need a healthy snack.

A local grocer is involved and provides fresh fruits to the school students. Teachers provide a fruit piece to students on a needs’ basis.

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Healthy Snacks Program- partnership with the parentsHealthy Snacks Program- partnership with the parents

School / Community Partnership

School / Community Partnership

Objectives: • Allow students to exchange healthy snacks for less healthy ones• Provide students that have no snacks at all a healthy option

Once a week, students bring a piece of fruit from home to share with other students. In the school, volunteer parents are responsible for cutting the fruits and distributing the pieces to classes.

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Breakfast ProgramBreakfast Program

Schools / NGO PartnershipSchools / NGO Partnership

Objective: Improve the ability of children to learn by providing a nutritious breakfast in a safe, supervised environment.

This partnership promotes community ownership by increasing funds access for schools and helping in the management of breakfast volunteers (adults-run).

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Questions?

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Marie-Claude Thibault, MBA, RDPublic health nutritionistOttawa Public Healthmarie-claude.thibault@ottawa.ca

Thank you!