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“Healthy People at
Every Stage of Life: All
people, and especially those at greater risk of health
disparities, will achieve their optimal lifespan with
the best possible quality of health in every stage of
life.” —-Overarching CDC Healthy People
Goal
 CDC is changing to meet the challenges of public health
in the 21st century. To address the shifting landscape
of public health, the CDC has established four Health
Protection Goals focusing on healthy people, healthy
places, preparedness, and global health.
CDC’s Healthy People goals encompass the unique
health issues and risk behaviors that affect the quality
of health in every stage of life. This broadcast of Public
Health Grand Rounds focuses on Healthy People and the
importance of establishing healthy behaviors during childhood
instead of attempting to change unhealthy behaviors in
adulthood. Major research initiatives and school
and community based interventions to prevent and reduce
unhealthy behaviors that cause and exacerbate chronic
diseases is discussed.
The Case Study
Recent studies of children, adolescents, and young adults
have demonstrated the close link of blood cholesterol
level, blood pressure level, smoking, and obesity with
the extent and severity of atherosclerosis among people
well below 20 years of age.
This broadcast highlights the Coordinated School
Health Program Model (CSHP) to aid schools and communities
in preventing and reducing chronic diseases. A
CSHP consists of eight interactive components, which
can help schools create programs that help students establish
healthy habits.
Researchers designed and tested a school health program
called Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) to
help children improve their diet and increase their amounts
of physical activity. CATCH, which now reaches more than
half a million children in more than 1,200 schools in
Texas, started as a clinical trial and is currently an
effective public health intervention program. The
case study features Travis County which includes a large,
heavily populated school system in Austin, TX.
In 2001, the Texas state legislature passed a bill authorizing
the state Board of Education to require all school systems
in Texas to provide 30 minutes per day of school-based
physical activity and to implement a coordinated school
health curriculum. Schools and communities, in particular,
have a critical role to play in promoting the health
and safety of young people and helping them establish
lifelong healthy behavior patterns. Work with community
partners continues to further the adoption and implementations
of CATCH and similar behavioral change programs across
the nation.
Goal
This program will seek to increase knowledge and awareness
of how the CATCH program gives schools and communities
the tools they need to help children improve their diet
and increase the amount of physical activity they engage
in. By addressing chronic disease risk factors
at a young age, we can begin to prevent and reduce the
chronic disease burden in the U.S.
Objectives
State at least three reasons why it is important to implement evidence-based public health interventions designed to promote healthy lifestyle habits in a person’s early years., Describe the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program and how it has been implemented and disseminated in a school district and an organization that serves youth (Austin Independent School District, Austin, Texas, and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) clubs, Rochester, New York). Describe how federal, state, and local health and education agencies, legislators, universities, and community-based organizations can work together to improve health outcomes and leverage resources to implement successful and proven interventions. Describe how a coordinated school health program (CSHP) can improve health outcomes, specifically cardiovascular health, across the life stages.
Audience
Public health leaders; managers and professionals from
local and state health departments, hospitals, community-based
health organizations, boards of health, private physician
practices, federal agencies, and academic institutions;
and others who are concerned about preventing and reducing
chronic disease across the life stages.
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