Annual PANA Webcast September 23, 2008, 9 am to 11 am

Achieving Energy Balance: Programs, Events, and Tools for Improving Nutrition & Activity at Home, School, and in the Community

Special Feature: Enriching Family Meals Tool Kit

Audience
Schools, Community Recreation Centers, Parks and Recreation, Community Health Organizations, Parents, Youth Serving Organizations, and Health Care and others who are working to improve nutrition and physical activity for youth and families.

Overview
Since 2003, Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA) has engaged schools, local parks and trails and the community in programs, campaigns and events that support healthy eating and physical activity. The success of PANA’s initiatives in Pennsylvania served as the platform for the development of a branded social movement: nrgBalance™ - make healthy easy.

nrgBalance makes it easier for everyone to access healthy eating and active living options by rallying health and wellness champions to create energy-balanced environments. nrgBalance rallies health and wellness champions by:

hosting three annual events that promote healthy snacking, well-balanced meals and outdoor play
promoting a central health message (12345!) designed to protect against health risks and provide families with actionable strategies for making healthy choices every day
publicly recognizing schools and community recreation centers that commit to creating healthier environments
empowering teens to create healthy changes for themselves – and their friends
creating community partnerships that promote walking and biking to school; local parks and trail utilization; and connect healthcare practices to local community health efforts

By engaging in the nrgBalance movement, individuals, families and organizations have a unique opportunity to influence their local communities . . . working together to create a culture where healthy living is the norm.

nrgBalance 12345! highlights five recommended behaviors for maintaining good health and provides simple, practical tips for helping families achieve energy balance every day.
	One hour of physical activity each day
	Two or less hours of screen time each day
	Three meals a day
	Four or more cups of water or low/no-calorie beverages each day
	Five servings of fruits and vegetables each day

The training session will present the new www.nrgBalance.org website and feature tools and resources to help you implement campaign program and activities.

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Energy Balance Feature: Enriching Family Meals Tool Kit
“Promoting the family meal is a potential public health measure for improving dietary quality, reducing overweight, and improving educational and social outcomes.”
- Katherine Cason, PhD, RD, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, April 2006

Enriching Family Mealtimes: Helping Families Enjoy the Benefits of Eating Together
There are many reasons why the time has come to focus attention on family meals. Some have to do with the actual food on the table and the nutrients kids need to grow strong bodies and smart brains. Others are about the conversations families enjoy around the table – and the positive impact they can have on school performance and behavior choices. Now that schools must meet a federal requirement for local wellness policies, administrators and teachers are looking for innovative ways to motivate positive nutrition and physical activity changes at home. Community programs, such as after-school care, 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Boy/Girl Scouts, are also looking for easy ways to get families involved in healthier lifestyle choices.

Enriching Family Mealtimes was developed in response to what school leaders (administrators, teachers, nurses, and child nutrition directors) said they needed to promote the benefits of family mealtimes in their programs. Although families need to know what to do (eating together more often), more importantly, they need realistic advice on how to overcome the obstacles to regular family meals. Specifically, school and community leaders asked for simple recipes, tip sheets, shopping lists, and other practical resources, such as conversation starters.

This toolkit—Enriching Family Mealtimes—provides everything you need to promote family mealtimes in your school or program, including:

Step-by-step plans for a family mealtime promotion and/or challenge in school and community settings, with fun calendars for tracking how often families are eating together
Reproducible handouts featuring easy tips, tasty recipes, shopping lists, and fun conversation starter cards for children of different ages
PowerPoint presentations to use in promoting family mealtimes to school and community groups
Evidence for the benefits of family mealtimes, including children’s nutrition, health, academics, behavior, and general well-being
Background information on the health, weight, and nutrition issues facing American children today
Additional family mealtime resources and background research sources

Goal
This program will seek to increase knowledge and awareness of programs and tools to help local school and community organizations improve energy balance (healthy eating and physical activity) for youth and families.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the program, participants will be able to:

Plan three events that promote healthy snacking, well-balanced meals and outdoor play
Utilize the nrgBalance 12345! health education message in local programs and materials.
Implement Enriching Family Mealtimes Toolkit and materials
Understand how to participate in a school and community recreation center recognition program that helps to make healthy easy for youth and families
Empower teens to create healthy changes in their schools and communities
Create school and community partnerships for outdoor physical activity

Faculty

Allison Topper, MS
Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition & Activity Promotion

Allison is the Executive Director of the Center. She oversees planning and development of programs to improve school, community and healthcare settings that support healthy eating and physical activity. She received a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science with a minor in nutrition and a master’s degree from the University of Delaware in Health Promotion Planning with a concentration in Marketing.

Paula K. Leuenberger, MS, RD, LDN
Pennsylvania Beef Council

After receiving her BS in Nutrition/Biological Health from Penn State, Paula attended Case Western Reserve University, where she obtained a MS in Public Health Nutrition, and completed a dietetic internship. Marriage landed her in Switzerland where she held positions at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich. Eventually trading Swiss chocolate for Hershey chocolate, Paula returned to Pennsylvania where she worked on an osteoporosis research team at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Thereafter, while raising three daughters, she consulted for Cooperative Extension and industry, and served as an undergraduate instructor for Penn State. Paula is currently the Director of Nutrition and Health at the Pennsylvania Beef Council, a position she has held for eight years and one where she interacts with health professionals, educators, and consumers. She has been active in community and professional groups, including 4-H and nutrition boards, currently serving as past president of the Penn State Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society. Paula has enjoyed many meals with her family!

Staff Presenters

Bryan Garrido, BA
Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition & Activity Promotion

Bryan is the Active Communities Coordinator for the Center, and works with community partnerships to promote outdoor recreation to youth and families. Bryan has extensive experience working with youth in educational and recreational settings. His prior experience includes work with YMCAs, a charter school, and as a high school athletic coach. He received his degree in Sports & Exercise Science with Recreation minor from Messiah College.

Rebecca A. Stametz
Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition & Activity Promotion

Rebecca is the Cause Campaign Coordinator and manages programs for schools, recreation centers, and teens. Her expertise lies in public health program management. She received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Corporate Fitness from Bloombsurg University and her master's in Public Health, concentrating on Community Health Education from East Stroudsburg University.

Danielle Sunday, BA
Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition & Activity Promotion

Danielle is the Public Relations Manager for the Center. She has experience working in both the corporate and non-profit arena. Danielle is a member of the Pennsylvania Public Relations Society, immediate past president of her college alumni chapter and volunteers with a national child sexual abuse prevention campaign. She received her degree in public relations from York College.

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The evaluation for this program is now closed.