News September 15, 2003

The University of Kentucky’s new three-year strategic plan, “The Dream & the Challenge,” is designed to focus the efforts of administrators, faculty and staff on meeting student needs while advancing UK’s mission to become a top-20 public university by 2020, President Lee T. Todd Jr. said.

The plan’s success in improving the quality of life across the state of Kentucky relies on the active participation of all university units, he added.

“National recognition is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a product of excellence in fulfilling our mission and serving the Commonwealth. Everyone in the UK community must embrace his or her role in helping UK achieve its full potential as an educational institution and as an instrument for advancing prosperity,” Todd said.

The plan lays out six goals that all university units must work to fulfill. The six goals and specific objectives for each goal are listed below.

In addition to the goals and objectives, the Strategic Plan includes key indicators, which are the measures that will be used to establish progress made in achieving the goals. For example, the key indicators for Goal VI, Elevate the Quality of Life for Kentuckians, are to develop and implement a plan for University engagement that integrates service into the curriculum and recognizes faculty engagement; to secure authorization and design a strategic clinical facility; increase industry-funded research expenditures to $25 million; to increase the number of patent applications by 10 percent; to increase the number of start-up companies to two per year; and to increase public service expenditures, particularly extramural grant-supported expenditures, in areas critical to improving the lives of Kentuckians.

Todd said all units subject to program reviews should ensure that their unit’s strategic plan aligns with the university’s plan.

Units also must review and revise their missions to align with UK’s new vision, mission and values statement approved by the Board of Trustees on April 1.

The unit plans should establish goals, define strategies, and develop targets for measurements of progress. Each unit also should complete an annual “action plan” during the fall of each year to document progress.

Resources to assist units in strategic planning and assessment are available online at www.uky.edu/Home/2003-06StrategicPlan/.

More information about the 2003-2006 Strategic Plan is available online at www.uky.edu/Home/2003-06StrategicPlan/plan.html.

Dan Adkins

Women’s health conference slated

The University of Kentucky Office of the Provost and the UK Women’s Health Center, in conjunction with other agencies, will sponsor the Sixth Annual Conference on Women’s Health in Kentucky. The conference will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Lexington.

“This is an interdisciplinary conference designed to appeal to researchers, academecians, clinicians and policy makers,” said Juliann Sebastian, assistant dean for Advanced Practice Nursing and co-director of the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program, UK College of Nursing.

The conference is an opportunity for health care providers, social service providers, health care administrators, health professions faculty, and government and community leaders to identify current health care perspectives, promote women’s health, and to analyze new health care information.

The conference includes state and federal policy sessions, with representatives from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies. Participants will be able to attend sessions on important women’s health issues such as diabetes, domestic violence, obesity, cardiovascular health and HIV prevention.

“Women’s health is broad and includes preventative, primary and a full range of chronic health issues. Women’s health includes, but is not limited to, reproductive issues,” Sebastian said.

The fee for the conference is $50 and includes lectures, educational materials, breakfast, lunch, and a certificate of attendance. To register or for more information, please call (800) 284-6407.

Briefs 1

Biology of aging symposium to be held in October
A symposium on the biology of aging, organized by students on the Neurobiology Aging Training Grant, affiliated with the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, will be held Oct 9. The morning session will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Bosomworth Health Sciences Research Building atrium, and will include discussions with the program’s speakers, as well as a poster session.

Presentations by invited speakers, including Judith Campisi, senior staff scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Life Sciences Division, University of California, and Jeffrey Kordower, director, Research Center for Brain Repair, and professor of neurological sciences, Rush Presbyterian Medical Center, will be held in the UK Hospital Auditorium, HG 611, from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Faculty, staff and students interested in biology and aging are encouraged to attend. If you wish to attend or present a poster, contact Liz Jones at 257-5036 or lizj@uky.edu for more information.

PT students to host 5K run
University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences physical therapy students are hosting a 5K run/walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the UK/Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Arboretum. Registration is $12 for students and $14 for non-students, and T-shirts are included.

Race proceeds benefit the Cardinal Hill Sensory Integration Camp for Children and physical therapy research at UK. Registration forms can be picked up at John’s Run/Walk Shop, which is an event sponsor, or from any first- or second-year physical therapy student.

Nurse testifies before congressional briefing on behalf of Kentucky citizens

During testimony at the briefing, Feltner and Gil Friedell, director emeritus, UK Markey Cancer Center, described how programs such as the Southeast Kentucky Community Access Program (SKYCAP) and Kentucky Homeplace are helping to remove health barriers for those in rural and underserved areas. They encouraged legislators to support the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act, legislation aimed at generating grant money for programs that help citizens gain access to or “navigate” through their regional health care systems.

Individuals in underserved areas would have access to an assistant, also called a navigator, who would guide them through medical screenings, scheduling appointments, referrals, and follow-up care. A key component of the proposed legislation is the provision of outreach in a way that is sensitive to the personality and unique nature of each community. Other objectives include growing preventive screening opportunities in minority and underserved areas, thus boosting positive health outcomes in those populations.

Feltner, who has witnessed the success of such programs in Kentucky, encouraged legislators and other officials to support the legislation. “Get behind this bill. Everyone deserves quality health care, and I’m here to tell you that these programs work,” she said. Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio, one of the act’s lead sponsors, echoed concerns about people who do not know how to get started, where to go for help, or how to make basic health care decisions.

Among the act’s co-sponsors is Kentucky Rep. Ed Whitfield. National organizations supporting the legislation include the American Cancer Society, National Rural Health Association, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Should the Patient Navigator Act be enacted, the Kentucky program could be in position to serve as a national model when similar programs are set up around the country. Feltner concluded her testimony saying, “The thing I really want to get across is that the patients are doing better. Kentuckians deserve that.”

Conference on violence against women upcoming

The University of Kentucky is offering a unique opportunity for the university community to attend a research conference on violence against women, the inaugural event for the UK Center for Research on Violence Against Women.

The conference, “Toward a National Research Agenda on Violence Against Women,” will be held Oct. 1-2 at the Marriott’s Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. The meeting specifically is designed for researchers in the field of violence against women and other faculty who may have an interest in this area.

The conference will provide a review and critique of literature on the subject, as well as a poster session, offering an opportunity to highlight the work of UK faculty and graduate students. Topics will include measuring and defining violence against women, offender typologies, effects of violence, and special issues of women.

To assist the attendance of UK faculty and research staff, the center is offering scholarship opportunities. The center also is partnering with the President’s Commission on Women to make student scholarships available. Faculty and students interested in scholarships should e-mail Carol Jordan, director of the center, at carolj@email.uky.edu. For more information, visit gocadvs.ky.gov/vawconf1.htm.

Geologic map of Jefferson County will aid land-use planning

The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), located at the University of Kentucky, has released its new “Geologic Map of the Louisville 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle, Central Kentucky,” that should help those involved in planning in Louisville, Jefferson County, and surrounding counties. The new map was produced by KGS geologists Thomas Sparks and Qinhua Zhang.

“This new map has great scientific value because of the geologic information it contains, and great practical value because the data used to create the map are available in computer format,” KGS Director Jim Cobb said. Cobb presented the map to Louisville Metro Deputy Mayor Joan Riehm at the closing luncheon of the Kentucky 2003 Geologic Information Systems (GIS) conference in Louisville in August.

Representing a 1,443-square-mile area of Central Kentucky, the map illustrates all or parts of nine counties. This area has a population of more than 800,000 and includes the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro area and Shelbyville, Taylorsville, New Castle, La Grange, Mount Washington, Jeffersontown, Middletown, Prospect, and Smithfield. The map, the fourth in a new 1:100,000-scale series, provides a high degree of accuracy and detail, as well as a perspective on regional trends in geology.

The digital files used to create the map are available on CD-ROM for use in GIS and other software. The map has information about the location and specific mineral composition of different types of rock in the region.

The digital data sets make it possible to use this geologic information with other kinds of data – agricultural, archaeological, biological, engineering, geographical and medical – in GIS and other software. The map is useful for planning decisions related to urban and rural development, construction and transportation, water and resource management, land use, and mitigation of hazards (for example, floods, landslides, and slope instability).

The Louisville quadrangle map is available from the KGS Public Information Center for $8 and may be ordered by calling 257-3896 or toll free at (877) 778-7827. The digital data sets are available individually or in groups on CD-ROM for $10 per 7.5-minute quadrangle. The CD-ROM includes a tutorial that explains the format of the data and other necessary information for their use. For more information, visit the KGS Web site at www.uky.edu/kgs.

Healthtrac Rewards seeing much interest, rapid growth

Q: I have already completed my initial Healthtrac Health Assessment (HHA); but when I went back to my personal health page this month I could not find another survey to complete. When will the next survey be available?
A: Healthtrac Health Assessments are available every three or six months. By making surveys available on this three to six month basis, participants have some time to make improvements to their health habits and then report on their progress.

Q: How will I know when my new Healthtrac Health Assessment is available?
A: As new surveys become available, you should receive a reminder e-mail from the Healthtrac customer service department. To be safe, we recommend that when you check your personal health page you click on the UK Healthtrac Rewards link and check your Healthtrac page.

Q: When I went back to my personal health page there was nothing new waiting for me. When will I see anything different and how does this help me improve my health?
A: Over the next several months the personal health pages will be going through significant changes. It is our intent to create a regular schedule of updates and enhancements for these pages. Part of the reason for this program is to provide you an incentive to become more aware of your health and the features that are found on this personal health page. Educated consumers are wise consumers and your participation increases your awareness of your health status and health benefits.

Briefs 2

Parking extends evening permit control hours
Since Sept. 9, all University of Kentucky employee, commuter and stadium parking lots have been controlled until 7:30 p.m. Any valid UK parking permit (including evening permits) are authorized in most lots from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Most residential (R) lots continue to be controlled 24 hours a day. Refer to the parking control sign at the entrance to each lot for permit required and/or lot control times. Evening students may purchase evening permits, valid at night on UK’s campus, at a substantially reduced rate. For more information, call 257-5757 or visit www.uky.edu/Parking.

Lexington begins monthly campus street cleaning
The city of Lexington began regular monthly street cleaning of 68 streets surrounding the University of Kentucky this month. The street sweeps take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first Wednesday or Thursday of each month. Parking on the streets during cleaning hours is prohibited. Cars parked illegally on September cleaning days will be ticketed by city officials; however, towing will begin in October. For more information, contact the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Department of Public Works at 258-3400.

New food services director at Boone Center named
Mike Wyrick was recently named the new food services director at the University of Kentucky Hilary J. Boone Center. Wyrick comes to UK after working as a district sales representative with Gordon Food Service.

Professor developing novel vaccines for HIV using nanotechnology

Russell J. Mumper, assistant professor, pharmaceutical sciences, and assistant director, Center for Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop vaccine delivery systems to treat, and eventually prevent, some forms of infectious disease.

The two-year, $412,458 grant is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the NIH. The grant, “Nanoengineered HIV-1 Vaccines Based on Tat,” funds a project to develop novel vaccines for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HIV-1, using nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology involves the use of nanoparticles in the targeted treatment of disease. Nanoparticles are tiny particles that have a diameter less than 1000 nanometers. (One nanometer is approximately one-billionth of a meter.) In this particular type of vaccine, nanoparticles containing a specific type of protein (HIV Tat protein) will be targeted to specific cells in the body. It is hoped that the tiny particles will help build antibodies and T-helper cells to combat disease.

This innovative pharmaceutical technology, termed “nanotemplate engineering” technology, was invented by Mumper and Michael Jay, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and director, Center for Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, UK College of Pharmacy. In 2000, Mumper and Jay co-founded NanoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a seed-stage company that develops nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. NanoMed (www.nanomedpharm.com) is in the process of forming another seed-stage company, NanoVax Technologies, which will focus on developing the HIV-1 vaccines. The nanotemplate engineering technology and HIV vaccine technology is the subject of several pending patents assigned to the UK Research Foundation with Mumper and colleagues as inventors.

Mumper and NanoVax will collaborate on the development of these vaccines with colleagues, John R. Yannelli, associate professor of medicine, Markey Cancer Center, and Jerold G. Woodward, professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, both in the UK College of Medicine. The UK group will also work with Avindra Nath, professor, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University.

“We are very excited about our preclinical data and if all goes well, we hope to have the HIV vaccine in human clinical trials within 24 months,” Mumper said. “We very much appreciate the support of UK and the NIH in sponsoring this research and development.”

UK United Way campaign ‘Community Matters’ begins

Leaders of a traditional fund-raising effort at the University of Kentucky have generated some new ideas in hopes of building interest. The annual UK United Way (UKUW) fund-raising campaign, with a theme of “Community Matters,” kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 17. The fund-raising goal is $420,000.

“With a history of more than 60 years of giving to United Way, UK employees and retirees have proven that their community matters to them,” said United Way of the Bluegrass Chief Executive Officer Kathy Plomin. “UK is our third largest contributor, and we appreciate both the generosity and leadership shown by this great organization.”

The UK United Way Cabinet, a group of nearly 50 volunteer leaders, has been working since March to get ready for the campaign, said UK campaign chair Marc Mathews, senior associate controller in the Office of Controller and Treasurer. “The cabinet has been working hard to make this a successful campaign, and we’re trying some new things this year that we hope will generate more interest and excitement.”

United Way Week is an addition to this year’s campaign. It begins Sept. 17 with the kickoff luncheon for contribution solicitors and other volunteers. Other events that week include a volunteer fair; a student art exhibit and sale to benefit United Way; “United Way Care Day” when students, faculty and staff provide hands-on assistance to local United Way agencies; United Way Day at the Hilary J. Boone Center where UK employees can purchase Sunday brunch in celebration of the campaign; and a Books Are Fun book sale to raise funds.

“We want to give our students and employees a variety of opportunities to donate either their time, their treasures, or both,” said UK Community Relations Director Lisa Higgins-Hord, who is assisting with the campaign and United Way Week. “We understand that some people would like to give more than they can afford financially, and volunteering their time or making a purchase that includes a donation will help them accomplish that.”

As part of the campaign, employees will receive a brochure with information about United Way of the Bluegrass, a message from President Lee T. Todd Jr., and a pledge card. People who return their completed pledge cards will be eligible for prize drawings to be held weekly throughout the course of the six-week campaign.

While this is not new for UK’s fund-raiser, what is new is that the drawings will be public events held at various locations around campus, including the Patterson Office Tower, Ag North Plaza, UK Hospital cafeteria, Gatton College of Business and Economics, and the Hall of Fame in the Kentucky Clinic.

Prizes this year include trips, restaurant gift certificates, overnight hotel accommodations, and many items from local merchants. “I appreciate the willingness of local businesses to provide gifts for our prize drawings,” said UK Hospital Assistant Director Sandra Chambers, who chairs the prize committee and will take over leadership of the entire campaign next year. “The opportunity to win these prizes is one way we can say ‘thank you’ to our UK family for its support of the United Way campaign.”

A familiar and much-anticipated event is the annual UK Medical Center United Way Fall Festival planned for 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in the Medical Center Courtyard. Funds raised from the festival benefit the UK campaign and are earmarked for the UK Hospital’s Human Needs Fund, a United Way-supported agency.

More information about prizes, the dates, times and locations of prize drawings, United Way Week events and the festival is available on the UKUW Web site at www.uky.edu/UW.

To jump start the campaign toward its goal, fund raising has already begun among UK retirees and administrators. The total raised for both groups will be announced at the kickoff Sept. 17; however, if the amount contributed by retirees is any indication, this could be a successful year for the United Way fund-raiser.

Harriett McVey, who is chair of the retirees’ campaign, said the goal of $11,500 was smashed. “We have raised nearly $17,000 in the first four weeks of the campaign, an incredible show of generosity from our retirees,” said McVey, who retired from UK Public Relations in 2003.

United Way of the Bluegrass funds more than 200 programs in Anderson, Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Madison, Montgomery and Scott counties, meeting more than 800,000 individual needs, including those of fellow UK employees. It is estimated that one in four UK employees is assisted by a United Way agency.

“I think our campaign theme of ‘Community Matters’ is fitting because not only do the folks who receive help matter, but the many contributors from our UK community matter as well. Their donations make a positive impact on the lives of people throughout Central Kentucky,” Mathews said.

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging helps identify resources for African Americans

Lexington African Americans will soon benefit from Kentucky’s share of $12.5 million in awards recently issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The grant comes as part of a national drive to develop new methods of informing and assisting families who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease.

In a three-year project, Sanders-Brown will work hand-in-hand with the Kentucky Office of Aging, recipient of the $596,000 grant, and regional Alzheimer’s associations to help African Americans living in Fayette County have greater access to support and information about diseases and conditions that often accompany aging. The grant will utilize local churches and the Best Friends program to spread the word that there are options for families charged with caring for those with dementia-related conditions.

The Kentucky project supports the federal goal of spreading the word about resources available to all those who may need them. “Most often, spouses or other family members provide the day-to-day care for people with Alzheimer’s disease,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy G. Thompson. “Just as those afflicted with this insidious disease usually require more care as the disease advances, so do those who care for them.” The grants are unique in their mission to address the needs of both patients and caregivers.

Dr. William R. Markesbery, director of UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, echoed Thompson’s thoughts. “One of the difficult problems for families caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease is their inability to connect with the resources and individuals who are in the best position to help them during such stressful times,” he said. “This grant will help us make that connection.”

Overall, HHS will spend about $655 million this year for Alzheimer’s disease research and prevention, including scientific and medical research through the National Institutes of Health on potential causes, detection methods. and treatments for the disease.

Spindletop Hall offers wealth of amenities for faculty, staff, alumni

Just off Iron Works Pike, less than a mile from the entrance to the Kentucky Horse Park, stands a stone and iron gate protecting a tree-lined lane that leads to stately Spindletop Hall.

Here, UK faculty, staff and alumni members can enjoy gourmet dining, a sports bar and grill, four swimming pools, tennis courts, two putting and chipping greens, and other amenities.

Spindletop also offers use of its facilities to members for special occasions, including club meetings, wedding receptions, family gatherings, and other events.

Spindletop dates from the 1930s, when Mildred Pansy Yount, widow of Texas oilman Miles Frank Yount, moved to Lexington to establish a Saddlebred horse farm. She named the 866-acre farm after the Beaumont, Texas, oil fields that had produced 50 million barrels from 1925 to 1930.

Construction of the main house began in 1935 and took two years to finish, with no expense spared. The completed mansion measured 45,000 square feet of the finest classical architecture in the state of Kentucky. It featured 40 rooms, including 14 bathrooms, 11 fireplaces, and at the time the biggest living room and staircase in the state. Yount lived there with her adopted daughter and her second husband, horse trainer Cape Grant. In 1955, she divorced Grant and moved back to Texas, selling the estate in 1959 to UK for $850,000.

During the early 1960s, the house was open to the public for tours. When the Carnahan House became too small to accommodate the alumni association, the group asked if it could move its operations to Spindletop Hall, and 1962 marked the first year of alumni activities at the facility.

These days, Spindletop Hall Inc. is open to all UK faculty, staff and members of the UK National Alumni Association, and membership dues are considered very reasonable compared to area country clubs. A family membership is $530 annually, while single memberships are available for only $318 a year. UK staff members can have membership fees deducted from their paychecks. For those who reside out of town, special rates are available. Members may also bring guests to enjoy the site’s many services.

“Over the years, thousands of families have enjoyed growing up utilizing our facilities,” said general manager Doug Long. “Few universities are fortunate to have such a grand facility available to our faculty, staff and alumni. Many visitors to the club are amazed that this level of amenities is available at such a reasonable price.”

Members are entitled to the many amenities Spindletop has to offer, such as the four swimming pools; 10 tennis courts, four of which are lighted; two putting and chipping greens; and fine dining in its formal dining room. In addition, the facility offers the opportunity for children to be members of the swim team; this alone can save families a great deal of money during summer vacation.

Spindletop hosts numerous events for members. During the summer there are bistro style dinners on the patio, the Saddlehorse Lounge is open for casual dining without reservations, in the fall there is a bridal fair, and its proximity to the interstate makes it a perfect gathering place before and after UK sporting events.

For more detailed information on Spindletop’s history, memberships and services, contact Long or Operations Manager Gerald Marvel at 255-2777.

Distance Learning Center unveiled

On Aug. 29, the University of Kentucky College of Law unveiled its new U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell Center for Distance Learning.

The renovations, which began in 2001, were made possible through a $750,000 Justice Department earmark secured by Sen. McConnell, a 1967 UK College of Law graduate, and $250,000 from UK’s program for classroom renovations.

The new facilities include two 100-person classrooms, a 50-person classroom, and a combination seminar/practice courtroom. These rooms will be used for community legal education, education for Common-wealth of Kentucky prosecutors, and distance learning for UK law students. Already, the facility has been used for programs involving high school students across Kentucky who are studying legal ethics and for a distance learning class in which UK law students received instruction – together with students at Florida State University.

“As a person who has been involved in this type of technology from its birth, I can tell you that these truly are state-of-the-art classrooms,” UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. said. “With Senator McConnell’s help, the university now has a model for the other classrooms we need to renovate and upgrade to allow us to be competitive with our benchmarks.”

“This is another way for the University of Kentucky to extend itself to all parts of the Commonwealth, to make the educational and intellectual resources of our flagship university available to all Kentuckians,” McConnell said.

“These rooms have gone from being some of the worst teaching venues on campus to being the best,” said Allan Vestal, dean of the UK College of Law “This was made possible by the loyalty and leadership of Senator McConnell and we would like to thank him.”

IHDI offers seminar series on disabilities

The University of Kentucky’s Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI) will conduct a seminar lecture series on Fridays from September to November focusing on lifespan issues for individuals with disabilities and their families.

The seminars will look at early childhood (birth through age 3), preschool and elementary education transition, school age inclusion, transition from high school, supported living, and aging and disabilities.

“We will be looking at different transition times that individuals with disabilities and their families face,” said Stephanie Adams, seminar coordinator. “These seminars are a wonderful related-learning experience for anyone interesting in the human sciences.”

“This semester, we are very fortunate to have experts in our field, discussing various issues related to persons with disabilities,” said Harold Kleinert, director of IHDI. “I am excited at the prospect of students, faculty and staff of the university and the UK Chandler Medical Center, in addition to members of the community, having access to this information.”

All seminars are free and open to the community and will be held at the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute at UK. For more information about the seminars, call 257-3360 or visit www.ihdi.uky.edu/.

Professor offers tips to prevent childhood obesity

The number of overweight children in the United States has more than doubled in the past two decades, with one in five children currently being overweight.

Why is this occurring? Genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors can be the culprits.

“Over the past 20 years, genetics has not changed. What our kids do and what they eat have changed,” said Maria Boosalis, associate professor of clinical nutrition, University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences. “In short, our kids are eating more and exercising less.”

The Problem
• Each week, children watch approximately 24 hours of television; they play video games and spend time on the computer.
• Newer neighborhoods are built without parks, smaller yards and fewer safe places for kids to run around and play.
• In schools, children spend less time at recess, have fewer physical education classes, and have access to sodas and candy.
• In stores, fresh fruits and vegetables cost more than high fat, high sugar foods.
• In society in general, people drive, not walk or bike; snack on chips and sweets; and drink sodas rather than water.
• With two parents working, it's easy and cheap to stop and order fast food rather than cooking nutritious dinners.

The Solution
• For snacks, serve peanut butter and apples; carrots and low-fat yogurt; granola or cereal and yogurt; smoothies with yogurt or low-fat ice cream with fruit; or fruit. Always remember, sweets are acceptable in moderation.
• For lunch, use whole grain breads with lean meat, cheese or peanut butter; pack fruit, flavored yogurt or graham crackers rather than chips and candy; and encourage milk, 100 percent juice, or water rather than sodas or sugary drinks without nutritional value.
• Make family events active – go to the zoo or a playground, or take the family biking, hiking or swimming.
• Choose after-school day care programs that include physical activity.
• Encourage sports that can last a lifetime – swimming, tennis, biking, ice skating, dancing and roller blading (remember to buy and wear the proper safety equipment).

“Always remember you are your child's role model,” Boosalis said. “If you are active and eat healthy, your child likely will be the same way.”

News

‘The Dream & the Challenge’ focuses on taking UK to top-20 status