Press Releases
Connecticut Hospital Association Honors Stamford Hospital
For Efforts to Reduce Childhood Obesity
STAMFORD, CT - July 2, 2010Stamford Hospital's KIDS' FANS (Kids' Fitness and Nutrition Services) effort has received the 2010 Connecticut's Hospital Community Service Award. Sponsored by the Connecticut Hospital Association and the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the award recognizes a hospital in the state that has made an outstanding contribution to its community, particularly for a program or service targeted toward a particular segment of its community. Stamford Hospital was honored for tackling the serious issue of childhood obesity in southwestern Connecticut.
About 50 percent of the five-year-olds observed in Stamford Hospital's Pediatric Clinic between 2004 and 2008 were obese, providing evidence that childhood obesity is a major health problem in Stamford. In 2004, Stamford Hospital launched its childhood obesity effort to address this alarming trend. The effort soon grew into a city-wide collaboration that now includes Stamford Public Schools and a number of agencies working with children. Chaired by Stamford Hospital's pediatrician Madhu Mathur, MD, MPH, the childhood obesity effort focuses on prevention, advocacy, treatment, and research.
"We are gratified that our KID'S FANS effort has been recognized for its impact on the community," said Dr. Gerald Rakos, Chair of Pediatrics at Stamford Hospital. "We are responsible for teaching our children how to lead healthy lives, and since we began our city-wide collaboration, we have seen many positive changes occur as we move towards the goal of building a leaner and healthier community."
KIDS' FANS endorses and promotes the preventive health message of 5-2-1-0: For each day, 5 fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity, and 0 sugar-sweetened beverages. Stamford Hospital's Pediatric Clinic has offered a 12-week group nutrition education and dance as exercise program since 2006. Over the years, KIDS' FANS has expanded to include such programs as Fun Fit Club, which offers nine weekly sessions of yoga and trampoline exercises along with nutrition education. Funded by Stamford Hospital Foundation and Stamford Youth Foundation, Fun Fit Club serves children in the community and offers scholarships to students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.
In 2009, the Hospital established the KIDS' FANS Wellness Program at the Tully Health Center. This is a 12-week individualized treatment regimen including medical, nutrition, social work, and exercise sessions. Most participants in KIDS' FANS and the KIDS' FANS Wellness Program have achieved a steady or lower weight and a lower Body Mass Index.
Additionally, the Stamford Hospital Foundation, which funds KIDS' FANS, donated $175,000 to establish fitness centers at Stamford and Westhill High Schools and held a Train-the-Trainer program for 50 Physical Education teachers from Stamford Public Schools to share the latest scientific information.
For more information about KIDS' FANS effort, please visit www.stamfordhospitalpediatrics.com/children/kidsfan/default.aspx.
Stamford Hospital is a not-for-profit provider of comprehensive healthcare services in lower Fairfield County and the region. The mission of Stamford Hospital is to provide, together with its physicians, a broad range of high quality health and wellness services focused on the needs of our communities. Stamford Hospital is a Magnet Hospital and a member of the Planetree Alliance, a group of hospitals nationwide focused on patient-centered care. Stamford Hospital is affiliated with New York Presbyterian Health System and is a major teaching affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
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