Honoring Teachers

16 Million Minutes and More
of Fitness and Better Nutrition
NETA member stations lead the fight against childhood obesity

Vegas PBS
Keeping Kids Fit is the umbrella title for a long roster of resources and activities developed for the kids and families of the Las Vegas area.
Workshops, family activities, cooking tips, healthcare advice and more have been organized with a panel of partnerships. (More here.)

NETA distributes the Vegas PBS production: Fit Kids, Healthy Families
Watch it online here.

KNME / Albuquerque
We are doing healthy habits workshops at Albuquerque WIC Clinics, using all four areas of health, including nutrition. As the WIC prescription now includes fresh fruits and vegetables for the first time, we will help educate the moms and in the process help our department of health with this change. (More here.)

KCPT / Kansas City
We've developed an "Eat Small" campaign (six spots, billboards and such) with local partners to help ‘tweens deal with big food, (link). Also found here are “What If,” “Just Walk,” and “Generation XL,” programs focusing on childhood obesity.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting
LPB has produced the Louisiana Public Square Series and the segment “Is the Good Life Killing Us?” is particularly sobering. Also, see the Step by Step series, “Kids Trimming Down.”

WXXI / Rochester
WXXI is producing a series of “Healthy You” segments to air within our “Homework Hotline” statewide show. They will also be posted online as they air. Sessions include “Keeping Kids Healthy,” “News Hour Healthbeat,” “Get Up and Go!,” and “Get the Lead Out.” (More here.)

KEDT / Corpus Christi
KEDT Superfit Kids is a prevention effort as diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in south Texas. KEDT sponsors Diabetes and You: Where Do We Go from Here?

New Hampshire Public Television
LiveFIT NH is a NHPTV community outreach initiative to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in children and adults. With partner organizations statewide, LiveFIT NH demonstrates -- through a multi-part series on NH OUTLOOK, NHPTV's award-winning public affairs program; on-air "Fit Tip" health breaks based on the "LiveFIT NH Challenge"; Family Health Nights and Recipe for Health workshops; and online resources -- how individuals, families, schools and communities can combat obesity trends so all Granite Staters live fit and well.

NHPTV's LiveFIT NH received the 2007 Outstanding Achievement Award from the New Hampshire Governor's Council on Physical Activity and Health.

Learn more and take the "LiveFIT NH Challenge" and view all 13 LiveFIT NH episodes, and the 6 Fit Tip "Health Breaks" via the LiveFIT NH website.

WHRO / Norfolk
WHRO produces Healthy Habits for Hampton Roads, which has aired in over 70 markets.

We are completing our Obici Healthcare Foundation grant that called for working within early childhood education and elementary school environments to promote more healthy policies and practices. The website with all of those resources and tools should be active by the end of August. They include two short training videos to target early care providers and elementary school teachers.

In December 2008, we received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work within diverse faith communities to advance community policies or environmental changes that aim to increase access to healthy foods and safe places to play, with an emphasis on reaching those children who are at the highest risk for obesity. Our partner in this project is the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Resources being developed through this project will also be made available online.

Iowa Public Television
IPTV continues to produce 3-4 “Healthy Minute” interstitials each year. This project is funded by the Iowa Department of Education through its Team Nutrition efforts. |

This past year, Iowa Public Television launched a new initiative called Healthy Hike. Basically through a promotional campaign IPTV's host of the IPTV KIDS Club encouraged children to walk (hike) and read. Their teachers then submitted forms documenting their students’ results. Ten sites across Iowa with the most minutes of walking and reading were rewarded with an in-person visit by Dan Wardell the host of the KIDS Club. Schools from all 99 Iowa counties participated in this program. The students racked up an impressive 16 million minutes of hiking and reading. IPTV received a $50,000 grant through the Iowa Department of Health for this project.

    16 Million Minutes news release

    Healthy Hike report form for walking and reading activity (pdf)

    Healthy Hike news release (link)

Here are three additional links to national authorities on the subject.

U. S. Center for Disease Control website

National Institute of Health’s website

University of Michigan’s national survey data

The NETA Education Center would like to share your stories, ideas, programs with the rest of your colleagues and with public broadcasters at large. Email John Chambers, Director of Educational Services, or call 803-799-5517 #112.