Kent State University Center for Nutrition Outreach Receives UnitedHealth HEROES Grant to Fight Childhood Obesity

As childhood obesity rates continue to rise dramatically,  UnitedHealthcare is supporting kids’ creative efforts to  battle obesity through its UnitedHealth HEROES grant program. UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, awarded $12,000 in HEROES grants to  organizations in Ohio, including $5,000 in grants for youth-led projects that address childhood obesity in Northern Ohio.

UnitedHealth HEROES is a service-learning, health literacy initiative developed by UnitedHealthcare and Youth Service America (YSA) designed to encourage young people,  working with educators and youth leaders, to create and implement hands-on programs to encourage healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.

Kent State University Center for Nutrition Outreach received a $1,000 grant to implement Learning to Lose, an eight-week service learning nutrition program to fight childhood obesity. The program combines education and learning with community service to empower youth to  promote and advocate a healthy lifestyle. College student  volunteers will mentor students from Theodore Roosevelt  High School Bridges Academy who will also work with  Davey Elementary School students. The program will link  traditional school subjects with nutrition education and  hands-on activities.

Grants of up to $1,000 each were awarded to programs that demonstrate a clear understanding of the health risks associated with childhood obesity; propose creative  solutions to fight obesity in neighborhoods and communities; and can be effectively implemented, scaled and measured. Projects will culminate April 20-22, 2012, on  Global Youth Service Day, the world’s largest and  longest-running youth-led service campaign. A complete  list of grant winners and their projects is available online at www.ysa.org/HEROES.

“We believe that children are uniquely positioned to come up with creative ideas to help their peers in the fight  against obesity and to encourage healthier living,” said Patricia Horvath, RN, MSN, Executive Director of  UnitedHealthcare of Northern Ohio. “With UnitedHealth HEROES, we are helping young people take action to  improve their overall health and quality of life in a way  that’s not only educational, but beneficial for their entire community.”

“UnitedHealth HEROES is part of UnitedHealthcare’s overall commitment to help stem the rising tide of obesity and  related chronic health conditions like diabetes,” added Horvath.

“When we ask young people to tackle tough issues like childhood obesity, we’re helping to inspire the problem-solvers of today and tomorrow,” said Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of YSA. “UnitedHealth HEROES grants have a ripple effect: the benefits will be seen in communities nationwide now and well into the future. YSA  applauds UnitedHealthcare for inviting young people to take action and create healthy communities.”

Obesity is a critical problem among America’s children.  According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three children is obese or  overweight, putting them on the road to lifelong chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. If left unchecked or untreated, obesity will affect 43 percent of adults by  2018 and will add nearly $344 billion in that year alone to  the nation’s annual direct health care costs, accounting for more than 21 percent of health care spending, according to America’s Health Rankings^®. America’s Health Rankings is an annual state-by-state assessment of the nation’s  health. It is published jointly by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.