“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.
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. 4-H has become a national leader in health-related educational issues, including chemical health, mental and emotional health, foods and nutrition, physical health and safety. After more than 100 years of experience delivering useful and practical healthy lifestyle information to our young people, 4-H continues to embrace the need for healthy lifestyles.
Families today are busier than ever, with more work, school and after school 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 understand the reasons for today’s childhood obesity statistics. The goal of the “Watch Your Step” contest was to bring attention to choosing walking as a healthy lifestyle choice.
The contest was first promoted as part of the 4-H Youth Fair from July 26 – 28th. Twenty teams, and 79 individuals registered for the contest and purchased their pedometers. Team step totals were recorded nightly, and plotted on a chart which was part of a display in Kiwanis Hall. Individuals of all ages participated in the contest – from 5 years old to adult! By the end of the contest, a total of 1,480,000 (that’s ONE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTY THOUSAND) steps were recorded. This translated to walking over 740 miles. That means we walked to Atlanta, Georgia!!
This contest accomplished more than we anticipated. It certainly brought “walking” to the attention of everyone at the Fair. The usual greeting between members was, “So, how many steps do you have now?” There was a friendly element of competition between teams – in one instance, a pedometer was found that had over 3,000 steps. The volunteer asked two young fellas how many steps they had – their report was not nearly as much as on the lost pedometer. She mentioned that she just found a pedometer with over 3,000 steps, and suggested that they “step it up” and add some to their total. Off they went, hiking through the trails at 4-H Acres until they could report back that they had exceeded the 3,000 mark! Youth who were working in the Country Kitchen didn’t get the chance to be out walking as much as other 4-H’ers. Youthful ingenuity and a bit of creative talent overcame this challenge when they discovered that if they “bounced” up and down in place, it added to their step total!!
One parent commented that she really liked the fact that this contest included everyone – regardless of age. In fact, younger members tended to be an asset to a team! This contest was also designed so members could participate without being on site. An adult tallied the total steps and called them in to the 4-H Fair office, where a teen recorded their total on the master chart. “Belonging” is one of the essential elements that is central to 4-H programming, and everyone felt as though they were part of a team effort.
As a result of sharing our idea for “Watch Your Step” with a staff person at the NYS 4-H Office, our little idea became part of a state wide initiative. They were so excited about our idea that they implemented a “county challenge” in the Youth Building at the NYS Fair. Sixteen teens and three adults from Tompkins County clipped on their pedometers and counted their steps while they were serving in leadership roles at the NYS Fair, Aug. 27 – 30. We challenged 10 other counties during this time period, and are proud to claim 2nd place honors! Tompkins County recorded a total of 686,000 steps for the four day period, walking over 343 miles. Research suggests that girls, ages six to twelve, need 12,000 steps per day to achieve a healthy body mass index (BMI). Boys in the same age range require 15,000 steps per day, while the recommended steps for adults is 10,000. The highest daily step total Tompkins County recorded was 31,093 – in one day!! Several 4-Hers walked more than twice the recommended number of steps. Our members now know the number of steps from the Youth Building to the main “attractions” at the Fair.
Governor Spitzer visited the NYS Fair during the time we were there. One of his stops was to the Youth Building where a “Choose Health” fitness trail was being promoted to the public. Tompkins County highlighted the “Watch Your Step Contest” that we promoted at the local level, and all members of our county wore the official yellow “Choose Health” T-shirts. Several members of our delegation met Governor Spitzer, and were able to shake his hand – quite an experience for these members.
This grant made it possible for us to purchase the pedometers, promote the contest, and purchase awards for the top team at the Youth Fair. Each member of the winning team received a “4-H Takes You Places” water bottle, filled with a jump rope, hand weights, and other fitness items. “Choose Health” will be a program priority for Tompkins County 4-H this coming year. This contest brought healthy lifestyles to the forefront of our programming efforts, and members, volunteer leaders, and staff will work to help combat the issue of childhood obesity.
One of our goals for this year is to seek funding to continue to help sponsor fitness trail activities, food preparation projects that will focus on using fresh, locally produced and more healthy recipes, and other recreational activities to keep young people active. We hope this funding will also allow us to turn facts about healthy lifestyles into professionally designed signs to hang at our events and at next year’s 4-H Youth Fair. Some of these facts include:
It only takes 100 steps a day to lose a pound a year.
Treat yourself with occasional sweets and high fat foods.
Eating meals as a family helps everyone to eat more healthfully and to communicate better.
Eat 5 or more fruits and veggies each day.
Eat because you are hungry, not for other reasons.
Play actively for an hour a day – riding bikes, walking, swimming, hiking, or whatever you like.
Choose water or milk instead of sweetened beverages.
Research shows that girls, ages 6 – 12, need 12,000 steps per day, and boys in that same age range require 15,000. It is recommended that adults take 10,000 steps per day.
The “Watch Your Step” contest not only helped us focus on walking as a healthy lifestyle choice, but also provided the opportunity for the teens on the 4-H Youth Fair Board to expand their leadership skills. They felt the contest was an overwhelming success, and are proud of their efforts – especially seeing how their idea of a step contest is being promoted at the state level. Even though we haven’t had our first meeting of the new year, I’ve already heard of ideas to improve on the contest for next year. No doubt, “Watch Your Step” will be back!
Thank you very much for your support of this effort. A little “seed” money has helped us focus on a much larger and very serious health issue. We were able to promote physical activity in a fun way, help young people develop their leadership potential, and contribute in positive ways to both NYS and National 4-H initiatives.
Brenda T. Carpenter
4-H Club and Volunteer Coordinator
btc6@cornell.edu
