Wellness programs catching on

As school officials work with parents, health experts and community organizations to provide solutions to childhood obesity, some educators also are getting in on the fitness craze.

Health officials say even a 10 percent weight loss can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart problems and stroke.

Phyllis Nimetz, a Hobart Middle School physical education and health teacher, said the school's cardio and strength lab is open an hour after school each weekday for students and teachers. In 2004, the school won a $360,000 Carol M. White Physical Education Program grant that helped fund the lab.

Nimetz said plenty of teachers and students use the workout room after school.

"I think people are seeing the benefits of exercise and good nutrition," Nimetz said. "Down the road, it's going to help. I think we're becoming more heart conscious."

Vernita Brooks, a first-grade teacher at Field Elementary School in East Chicago, said teachers are very aware of education and nutrition.

"We see the students when they walk into the classroom," she said. "We are concerned for ourselves and our students."

Brooks said many teachers exercise with their students in the gymnasium and after school with friends. Some teachers join health clubs.

And some schools in East Chicago even have Weight Watchers programs.

At the state level, the governor's INShape Indiana program motivated 20 Indiana Department of Education employees to start a Weight Watchers at Work program. From Sept. 21 when they started until late December, the group lost a total of 252.4 pounds.

According to a news release from the Indiana Department of Education, Indiana is the ninth most obese state and 26 percent of adult Hoosiers report no regular physical activity. Additionally, nearly 78 percent of adult Hoosiers consume less than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Employers across the country are developing wellness programs as an incentive to encourage employees to stay well and reduce health care costs, said Mike Reardon, who is with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Chicago.

"It's well documented that there's a stronger focus on education and prevention," he said. "The healthier the population, the easier it is for an employer to control expenses."