Healthy Eating and Activity for Life (HEAL), a new program funded by Aetna to help combat obesity, kicks off at California State University, Fresno on Monday, Oct. 17, when student dietitians open the Mobile Wellness Booth in the first of 10 events this semester and next.
The booth will be south of the University Dining Hall from 12:45 to 2 p.m. with the dietitians, all graduate nutrition students at Fresno State, offering tips on healthy lifestyles and presenting activities to heighten awareness of the campaign against obesity.
A recent study by the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State showed that San Joaquin Valley residents have a higher rate of being overweight or obese than the state average. About 65 percent of Central Valley adults are overweight or obese vs. 56.2 percent of adults statewide. About 15.5 of adolescents in the Central Valley are overweight or obese compared with 14.2 percent statewide.
“We want to help our fellow students maintain a healthy lifestyle through the campaign’s activities such as the interactive wellness booths,” said dietetic intern Sarah Schuster, MPH.
Through an academic curriculum-Student Health Center collaboration, the student dietitians will provide direct, confidential counseling to students who sign up on their own or who are referred by the center’s medical staff. During the year, student-interns will create nutrition-related materials and online tools that can be used on and off campus to decrease obesity-related health risks. There also will be educational sessions in classes on campus and a student healthy-weight competition in the spring semester, Schuster said.
This semester, the booth also will be available Oct. 31, Nov.13 and Dec. 5. In the spring, it will be up Jan. 30, Feb. 20, March 12, March 26, April 16 and May 7.
The Fresno State HEAL Wellness Program is funded by a $35,000 grant from Aetna (NYSE: AET) whose Chairman, CEO and President Mark Bertolini brought his personal commitment to the project to Fresno State in August to present the check to President John D. Welty and Vice President for Student Affairs Paul Oliaro.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Harris, MS, RD, dietetic internship director in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, at 559.278.8009 or egfarris@csufresno.edu.
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