On May 19th, at the Benning Stoddert Recreation Center, the American Heart Association hosted an event that fused food, nutrition education and physical activity for the District’s children from Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8. As the District’s recent obesity report uncovered, Ward 8 has the fewest healthy food options and also has the highest rate of obesity. I’m personally passionate about issues related to nutrition and access to healthy food, and as a health communicator, I read stories and write blog posts about the obesity epidemic, so this event was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved as a volunteer and to make a difference in my own community.
Over 250 students from DC schools attended the event, which was set up with different stations that provided informational and fun activities highlighting various themes related to healthy eating and physical activity. The (1) Hydration, (2) Jump Rope, (3) Hoops, (4) Health screenings and (5) Nutrition stations all provided a good array of learning and activity-based opportunities. I personally had fun manning the jump rope station!
Stepping away from my day-to-day perspective as a health communicator and taking a more hands-on role afforded me the opportunity to see the epidemic facing my city and the country with the eye of an anthropologist. I invite you to take a look at what the day had to offer:
Tags: food access, obesity
