Children’s Optimal Health

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Children’s Optimal Health Report Reveals Improved Middle School Fitness

September 16, 2010
(Austin, TX) – Recent data collected by Children’s Optimal Health suggest that fitness levels in several Austin Independent School District middle schools may be improving.

Children’s Optimal Health is a non-profit collaborative leadership initiative involving nearly 50 community partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors including the Seton Family of Hospitals, Austin Independent School District, UT Austin, St. David’s Community Health Foundation, the UT School of Public Health and Central Health.

 The data, which includes the results of students’ cardiovascular fitness tests, indicates a decline in the proportion of cardiovascular test failures in many of the middle schools. From 2007 through the most recent 2010 data, several middle schools including Burnet, Dobie, Garcia, Mendez, and Webb have shown marked improvement in cardiovascular fitness scores.

Charles J. Barnett, FACHE, Seton’s president/CEO and board chair of Children’s Optimal Health, said, “the level of our success in addressing the health care challenges of today, challenges such as childhood obesity, will depend in large part on our ability to collaborate. It’s imperative that we collect data from multiple sources, help communities identify needs and create a shared vision for healthier children. This analysis of cardiovascular fitness levels in AISD demonstrates the power of our community working together.”

“Thank goodness it’s a new school year and new day in AISD,” said Meria Carstarphen, AISD superintendent. “As identified by the Board of Trustees in the Strategic Plan, health and safety for students and staff are values for AISD. It’s the first time for our district that we’ve had that focus. To truly value the health of students and staff, I want to encourage all students and staff to enter into this ‘new day’ with us as we explore areas focused around health. Personally, I will do more than explore – I’m fully committing to a lifestyle change.”

“How we eat and how we move are the two primary drivers of childhood obesity,” said Stephen Pont, MD, MPH, medical director for Children’s/AISD Student Health Services and the Texas Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity at Dell Children’s Medical Center. “Seeing improved cardiovascular scores is very encouraging and is a testament to AISD’s and our city’s commitment to the health and success of its students. If students can maintain this increased level of physical fitness, then we hope an improvement in childhood obesity levels will follow. And healthier students will be more successful students.”

Presentation of the AISD cardiovascular data in a sequence of maps reflects one of the goals of Children’s Optimal Health, specifically to utilize geographical information system mapping and multiple data sources to help identify and visualize certain trends that will help Central Texans understand changes in the health of children and design and implement appropriate programs.

The cardiovascular scores are part of a larger, ongoing childhood obesity initiative. While keeping data secure, COH uniquely combines it to produce maps from multiple sources that previously did not share information. The maps for the childhood obesity initiative are being gleaned from a variety of sources in addition to AISD data including the Austin Police Department, Capital Area Food Bank, Central Health and Capital Metro.

Mapping Child Obesity in Austin
September 17, 2010 — KUT.org

Mapping Obesity in Austin
May 5, 2009 — KXAN.com

Mapping Children’s Health
January 29, 2009 — KXAN.com

Technology Reveals New Worlds to Map
August 12, 2007 — The New York Times