NEWS RELEASE - March 11, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
|
UniCare Mary Scholz Barber 314-290-2013 mbarber@kupperparker.com |
UniCare-Hispanic Media Contact Nelda Skevington 210-416-0418 ncarskev@contextmktg.com |
UniCare DONATES HALF-MILLION EDUCATIONAL GUIDES TO HELP TEXAS FAMILIES, PHYSICIANS
TALK ABOUT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
"HEALTHY HABITS FOR HEALTHY KIDS" WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SCHOOLS
THROUGHOUT TEXAS
AUSTIN, Tex – The state of Texas now has access to a new resource to help combat the growing epidemic of childhood obesity. UniCare Life & Health Insurance Company (UniCare) today announced the donation of 500,000 copies of "Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" educational guides to the Texas Department of Health (TDH). The guides are offered free-of-charge to elementary schools statewide and will be available through Texas’ 20 Regional Education Service Centers.
"Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" stresses family participation and provides practical strategies for engaging the entire family in healthy eating and more physical activity. The guide provides easy-to-follow tips and tricks for healthy living, including:
- The "Healthy Habits Quiz" to identify where a family may want to make changes
- Information about how to set healthy, realistic goals
- A guide to nutritious foods
- Ways to include more physical activity in a daily routine
- Healthy hints for eating out with kids
"‘Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" serves as an educational and creative resource that appropriately complements Texas’ current initiatives tackling the obesity epidemic," said Sandra Van Trease, president and CEO, UniCare. "The donation reflects our commitment to empowering families and health care professionals with information and resources to live healthier lives."
The Texas Board of Health, which oversees the Texas Department of Health, approved the donation at its meeting in Austin today. "Texas is battling a childhood obesity epidemic, with 39 percent of fourth-graders, 37 percent of eighth-graders and 30 percent of 11th-graders in the state considered overweight or obese," says Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Texas Commissioner of Health and the head of the Texas Department of Health. "Resources such as the "Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" guide provide us with creative ways to reach children and parents with important information."
The guide was developed in response to a U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau study that reported that a "communication shortfall" between physicians and families creates a barrier to addressing childhood obesity. It recommended the use of "practical office aids" to communicate with parents and patients.
Developed by WellPoint, UniCare’s parent company, and the American Dietetic Association (ADA), "Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" was reviewed by more than 200 physicians and a panel of registered dietitians.
"The increasing incidence of obesity, especially in children, is a serious national health issue," said ADA president and registered dietitian Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, LD, FADA. "ADA believes that education of health care providers, parents and children is key to helping America’s young people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This guide will serve as an important new tool to help parents and children set and meet weight management goals."
"We felt that the best way to address this communication gap was to develop a tool that helps families and children talk about healthy nutrition and physical fitness," said Peter Juhn, M.D., M.P.H., WellPoint’s vice president of health improvement resources. "Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults and are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma and arthritis. This is clearly an issue that impacts the whole family."
Senator Kyle Janek, who was instrumental in bringing the "Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" guides to Texas, adds, "As a result of the childhood obesity epidemic, diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease are showing up more frequently in children. In order to reverse this growing trend, we must reach out to families and provide educational tools that will make a difference."
"Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids" is also available free in electronic format in English and Spanish at www.UniCare.com and www.eatright.org.
UniCare serves approximately 1.7 million medical members and is the national operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health care companies. WellPoint serves the health care needs of more than 14 million medical members and more than 44 million specialty members. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements.
