IOWA CITY, IOWA (May 22/2019) — More than 100 Iowa City-area elementary-school students participated in Healthy LifeStars, an initiative from the University of Iowa College of Public Health staffed by current UI students that fights childhood obesity by encouraging students to be more active and eat more nutritious food. Childhood obesity has become a serious public health-issue in the US, as more and more children are classified as significantly overweight.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the number of obese children in the United States between the ages of 6 and 19 has tripled since the 1970s, rising to 20% in 2015. In Iowa, about 18% of children between the ages of 10 and 17 are obese, according to 2018 data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The current focus is on students in the Iowa City area who attend after-school programs at Lucas, Alexander, Garner, and Wood elementary schools; the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center; and Iowa City Compassion, a nonprofit that helps people move out of poverty and inspires them to be of service to others.
Every week, more than 200 participants are coached in their schools and community centers by UI students from the College of Public Health and the Health and Human Physiology Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. They tell the children about the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise, and show them fun new activities they can play to keep moving.
Margaret Obert of Bettendorf, Iowa
Mikaela Mikkelsen of Eldridge, IA
Tom Romano of Bettendorf, IA
About the University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is one of the nation's premier public-research universities, dedicated to academic excellence, groundbreaking discoveries and creations, commitment to Iowa and the world, and a culture that prizes community, diversity, and opportunity.
The UI is known around the world for its leadership in the arts, sciences, and humanities. It is home to the first and best creative-writing program in the world, a world-class academic medical-center and one of America's top teaching hospitals, and a can-do culture that fosters a campus-wide dedication to student success.
To learn more about the University of Iowa, visit https://uiowa.edu/.
