Choose Health

Learning to make healthy choices is at the core of 4-H youth development's basic values. "Health" is, after all, the 4th H, following Head, Heart and Hands.

Families today are busier than ever, with more work, school and afterschool activities and scheduling issues. Couple these things with more sedentary lifestyles and more access to quick, sometimes less healthy meal choices and you can easily see the reasons for today's childhood obesity statistics.

There are, however, many good, simple and fun ways to overcome the statistics and stay healthy together.

Choose Health is an initiative of the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program intended to help all of us confront and take action to change the statistics of childhood obesity.

Links to more resources

 

• Choose Health! Blog
• Passport to healthy lifestyles   - publisher version
• Project materials
• 4-H Cooking Up Fun project - Cornell Division of Nutritional Sciences
• Why, What, When & How Much We Eat - Cornell Food and Brand Lab
• An Epidemic of Childhood Obesity - CCE Suffolk County
• Just Move (Alabama)
• NYS Department of Health - Acitv8Kids

Research on Obesity and Fitness:

The Surgeon General's Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative

Disney's Pass the Plate - the Global Spin on Eating Healthy

New Resource Available.

 

State 4-H Program Leader on Choose Health

Suffolk County wins 2008 Passport to Health Challenge

Delaware County wins 2008 Choose Health Walking Challenge

Resources to promote the Choose Health program:

• Choose Health Bookmarks
• Healthy Fact Circles
• Pedometer Challenge - create teams and see which one can take the most average steps during a day or a week.
• Sample Counting Sheet from State Fair
• Sample Press Release

• Fitness Trail - Plan several stations with fun, physical activities for participants to complete. End with healthy snacks. Sample Materials from State Fair 2007:
  • Fitness Trail Checklist
  • Fitness Trail Guide (for setup)
  • Fitness Trail Promo

 

 

 

...For You and Your World

This year, New York State 4-H “Choose Health” initiative will be returning to the State Fair with a twist: “Choose Health for You and Your World.” This year, the program will be extended to encompass another 4-H value: pledging heads, hearts, hands, and health for a sustainable world.

What is the connection between choosing a healthy lifestyle for oneself and preserving natural resources, saving energy, and improving the environment? The “Choose Health for You and Your World” initiative will attempt to show youth how sustainability efforts are good for personal and world health. For example, eating local fruits and vegetables helps to meet requirements towards a healthy diet, and also cuts down on travel costs. Refilling a water bottle makes it easy to stay hydrated, and cuts down on the amount of plastic thrown away.

To find out more about what you can do to Choose Health for You and Your World, visit the youth building at the New York State Fair, located next to the Indian village, and check out the resources below.

 

Materials to Promote the Choose Health For You and Your World Program

• Sustainability Press Release
• Healthy Facts Palmcard
• Healthy Facts Circles
• 4-H On the Street Video Challenge (with interview questions)