Press Releases

First Lady Michelle Obama Will Serve as Honorary Chair of the Partnership for a Healthier America

Photos from Nutrition and Fitness Awareness Day

Congratulations to the New Jersey Council of Physical Fitness and Sports (NJCPFS). They won the National Association of Health and Fitness (NAHF) State Council of the year award, which will be presented at the NAHF Annual Conference in Austin, Texas this summer.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the NJCPFS, it is a 16 member advisory board comprised of professionals in the field of sports, fitness, education, business, and health. The mission of the NJCPFS is to serve the citizens of the State by developing safe, healthful and enjoyable physical fitness and sports programs.   

Volt Fitness, Inc., located in Glen Rock, NJ offers new Fitness Program for Children with Special Needs. They have paired with P.L.E.A.S.E Occupational Therapy Services to create a new and therapeutic experience, using the interactive VOLT FITNESSSM Circuit for the families of children with special needs. The Circuit combines video games and fitness equipment to deliver a proven fun and effective workout for children with varying abilities and fitness levels. Children will benefit from the use of specialized fitness equipment, which provides a dual sensory experience and physical outlet as well as boosting self-esteem and confidence. 

Congratulations to The NJ Chapter of the Academy of Pediatrics and Englewood Area Community Foundation, in partnership with Bergen County NJ organizations serving children and families as they received the Healthy Active Living Grants for their FIT FAMILIES for Child Obesity Prevention Program. The AAP NJ Chapter and at risk: The FIT FAMILIES for Child Obesity Prevention program will increase awareness and provide educational outreach through infrastructure that is sustainable, using a train the trainer approach.   Regional pediatricians, health department officials, school nurses, social service providers, and parents will participate in a forum to educate the community about pediatric obesity and the importance of healthy choices (e.g.  age appropriate beverage choices, beginning with breastfeeding).  The second component of the initiative is implementation of an 18-month pilot awareness and training program at the Bergen Family Center (BFC) in Englewood.

The Family Resource Network (FRN) has been selected as a finalist in the NJBIZ Nonprofit Innovation Awards program. The Nonprofit Innovation Awards were designed to recognize and celebrate New Jersey’s 501(c) (3) organizations, executives, board members and volunteers who are demonstrating innovation in their daily operations. FRN was nominated for its collaboration with Rowan University in the Get FIT program. Get FIT is a unique collaboration because it addresses the lack of wellness and fitness programs for persons with developmental disabilities while addressing the lack of qualified, specialists in this area. Finalists were recognized and the winners in each category were announced during an awards breakfast ceremony on February 9, 2010. To learn more about the event go to: http://www.njbiz.com/events.asp?nID=90&show=details

Volt Fitness offers New Fitness Program for Children with Special Needs

Overview of the Pediatric Council on Research and Education's (PCORE) "Healthy Habits, Healthy Living" program

A ShapingNJ Full Partnership Meeting was held on Thursday, January 14th at the Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness. Workgroups presented the strategies under consideration for the final state plan on obesity prevention. In addition, a New Jersey Pioneers Panel shared initiatives that focused on policy and environmental change. January 14 meeting summary.

Kids Pack on the Calories with Frequent, Unhealthy Snacks

Banning School Junk Food Slows Obesity

Obesity in America: One Elementary School Fights Back!

Food Environment Atlas. The Atlas provides statistics on three broad categories of food environment factors: Food Choices—Indicators of the community's access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as: access and proximity to a grocery store; number of foodstores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; quantities of foods eaten; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods. Health and Well-Being—Indicators of the community’s success in maintaining healthy diets, such as: food insecurity; diabetes and obesity rates; and physical activity levels. Community Characteristics—Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as: demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers.

County Health Rankings - The first set of reports to rank the overall health of every county in all 50 states—were released February 17th by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at a briefing in Washington, D.C.

Let's Move, First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country

The latest issue of the Safe Routes Scoop is now available. The Safe Routes Scoop, a newsletter for the New Jersey Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program, will keep you informed about SRTS news, events, local programs, and available resources. Use this newsletter to promote SRTS and to update your members and partners on projects and opportunities.

Lautenberg And Menendez Announce $23 Million In Federal Recovery Act Funding For Bike And Pedestrian Path Linking Camden & Philadelphia

A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of Schools

Commercials are the link between TV and Obesity

Soda: A sin we sip instead of smoke?

Rewriting Child Nutrition Act (WW II Program Enlisted for War on Child Obesity)

Michelle Obama takes on obesity  
The first lady has taken on obesity and plans a formal rollout of her program next month.  Mrs. Obama will look to businesses and nonprofits, community and health centers, educators, religious leaders and government to help her efforts.U.S. Surgeon General stresses the urgency of collective action to combat childhood obesity.

Governor Chris Christie nominates Poonam Alaigh, M.D., for Health Commissioner.                                                                                                            
 Poonam Alaigh, 45, of Warren Township, has been selected to lead the state Department of Health and Senior Services. Currently, Dr. Alaigh is the executive medical director for Quality and Care Management at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the largest health insurer in the state. She previously served as the medical director for the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. She is a practicing physician, specializing in vascular diseases.

Governor Christie releases transition team reports.      The transition team included 21 subcommittees which compiled 19 reports, each focusing on a different sector of state government.

Menu labeling legislation passes in New Jersey.       New legislation requires major restaurant chains in New Jersey to fully disclose calorie information for menu items.

Obesity rates continue to climb in boys ages 6-19  
It appears that obesity rates have leveled off in the United States-with one exception- boys ages 6 to 19 are still getting bigger. 

Recess before lunch may lead to less food waste and higher consumption of milk, fruit and vegetables.