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New anti-obesity campaign targets kids through families

Get Up Mongtomery County seeks to improve the health of kids ages 2 to 12.

By Ben Sutherly, Staff Writer 11:37 PM Monday, July 20, 2009

DAYTON — Montgomery County’s $500,000 anti-obesity initiative will be far more visible this fall thanks to a marketing campaign aimed at improving the health of kids ages 2 to 12, in part by influencing their guardians’ behavior.

“Very few children buy the groceries,” said James Gross, Montgomery County health commissioner.

In coming months, the Get Up Montgomery County message is likely to show up in day-care centers, doctors’ offices, libraries and schools.

The project, which is likely to last several years, is moving forward despite the severe recession and cost cutting across the public sector.

“I don’t think we can afford not to spend the money,” Gross said. “We believe this will touch the lives of every person in Montgomery County.”

Get Up’s supporters don’t expect results overnight — “It’s taken decades to create this obesity epidemic,” Gross said But the initiative will be results-oriented, he added, focusing on perception, behavior and biometrics.

Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County and other initiative partners are recording and analyzing body mass index for children at 14 YMCA camps throughout the county to establish a baseline for evaluating the project’s effectiveness.

And it is paying Wright State University’s Center for Urban and Public Affairs $5,000 to survey hundreds of county residents about their health perceptions and behaviors. Survey results may be available as early as October.

It also has hired Atomic Interactive Dayton for $23,000 to develop a Web site, getupmc.org, meant to serve as a one-stop shop through which users can find events to help them get or stay fit.

Project manager Lorraine Russell, a Public Health contract employee, has taken part in 40 to 50 meetings so far with prospective partner agencies and organizations.

Get Up Montgomery County will use a “5-2-1-almost none” message that has been used elsewhere, including at Children’s Medical Center of Dayton:

• Five servings of fruits and vegetables daily;

• Limiting one’s “screen time” in front of a television or computer to two hours a day;

• One hour of physical activity a day, even if it’s less-intensive exercise such as walking the block or gardening;

• Almost no sugary beverages, namely soft and juice drinks.

The CareSource Foundation this spring contributed a $175,000 grant, its largest ever, to cover Russell’s salary and operational costs for two years, said Cathy Ponitz, the foundation’s executive director.

Nearly 12 percent of local low-income children under 5 are overweight, Ponitz noted.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly @DaytonDailyNews.com.

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