This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Aetna Foundation.
Kids health is an important topic to We Know Stuff and we believe that healthy children start from the ground up – meaning that parents need to be involved in their children's lives, especially when it comes to keeping them healthy. As busy parents ourselves, we know that it can be overwhelming to produce nutritious dinners each week and get your kids outside and moving every day, but it's really important that we try.
Children model their parent's behavior, and when they see us being healthy, they're much more likely to engage in a healthy lifestyle themselves. In our home, we really do strive to raise outdoor-loving kids that aren't afraid to try new foods. With that said, that doesn't mean that they're always excited to put on their shoes and go outside each day, or that they relish trying steamed broccoli at dinner time, but we try…because we know what the alternative is.
When our kids see us being unhealthy, they're going to end up modeling that behavior instead. As much as I don't like to admit it, I've been "called out" by my children for "sitting like a bump on a log blogging" instead of putting on my own shoes and going for a bike ride with them. And believe me, the last thing I want is for them to be hunched over a video game, so I get my shoes on and go…even when I really don't want to.
This doesn't mean that I'm Mom-of-the-Year. It's just that in my day job, I come across many, many statistics involving kids health and I can't ignore them.
- For example, according to a report by The New England Journal of Medicine, the current generation of children will be the first in America to have a shorter lifespan than their parents' generation – due largely to obesity-related disease.1
- As if that wasn't scary enough, the CDC has also stated that approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults and one-fifth of U.S. children are obese or overweight.2
With statistics like these, it's imperative that we focus on healthier options for our children. But with our on-the-go lifestyles, how do we gain access to much needed healthcare information that can help us make better choices for our families? The Aetna Foundation may have the answer.
Through their Digital Health Initiative, the Aetna Foundation knows that digital health technology offers a powerful way to reach people where they are with real-time health solutions that fit easily into their daily lives. Whether it's emailing with a physician or using a fitness app to track workouts, technology can be a great (and convenient) motivator and is central to how patients track and monitor their health and wellness today.
The Aetna Foundation understands that technology is a powerful way to impact public health at the community level. In February, they announced more than $1.2 million in grants to support the use of digital health technology, including mobile health or mHealth, among vulnerable and minority populations. These grants will go to a diverse group of 23 organizations across 13 states, including health care organizations, regional hospitals and grassroots organizations all focused on easy-to-use ways to leverage existing technology to impact health.
One of our favorite efforts includes:
- a K-12 digital health curriculum that covers diet and nutrition, exercise and fitness, and disease prevention and management. Students can collaborate on projects using social media capability and access the curriculum outside of school with their smartphones or other mobile device.
Needless to say, great things are happening over at the Aetna Foundation and we encourage you to stop by their web site to see how digital health technology offers innovative ways to improve health outcomes, health care services and health research.
Thanks for reading,
Denine
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Aetna Foundation.
1The New England Journal of Medicine, http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsr043743
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5807a1.htm
3Pew Research Center, http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/07/07/mobile-access-2010/
Hi Yvonne – I always forget you’re in the UK! I don’t know how you do it – writing novels and raising a family. 🙂
Hi Holly – Thanks for stopping by. It’s so important to remember that the kids are ALWAYS watching us. 🙂
Every time I go to grab a snack out of the fridge, I pause for a moment to decide if it’s a good snack or a bad snack. Right now I’m drinking a glass of Kefir and now my daughter us asking for some. 🙂
I love that phrase, “sitting like a bump on a log blogging.”
And I so agree – we need to show our kids by example, not expect them to do what we think they should. Not always easy, but so important. And with that in mind, I’m off because here in the UK it’s 10.17 pm and I time I logged off and set a good example!
This is something I try to do for my kids because I had the mom who did nothing but sit on the couch and watch tv growing up, eating junk food. I do not want my kids to learn those behaviours like I did and have the food and weight issues I do for the rest of their lives.