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Anne Turppa wants her daughter running around the block after school instead of racing to the TV.
So 8-year-old Samantha is involved in the Love to Run program, which is training her and other children for the Cellcom Green Bay 2.62-mile mini marathon on May 15. Samantha wanted to participate in the program although she is not very active in her gym class.
"My husband and I want our kids to be healthy, and not succumb to the norm of overweight children," the Green Bay mother said.
The Love to Run program is one of several area after-school initiatives aimed at curbing childhood obesity. About 17 percent of young people ages 2 to 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A 2008 report by Wisconsin officials found that up to 40 percent of overweight children ages 3 and 4 — and 60 percent of overweight adolescents — are likely to be obese as adults. Studies show these young people also are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes as they age, among other health problems.
The Love To Run program started in 2008 as a partnership between the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay. Nearly 100 children in four schools first took part in the event geared toward students in first through eighth grades.
"It was an opportunity to reach the school and kids to hopefully minimize the problems with childhood obesity," said Stacy Ryan, program director.
The program meets two times a week and program participants receive free entry into the mini marathon.
Now in its third year, more than 25 after-school programs, including those in surrounding counties, provide a six-week training curriculum for at least 500 young people, Ryan said.
But training for only six weeks isn't going to solve childhood obesity and exercise must be a family priority, Ryan said.
"If kids can bring energy into the household, that will hopefully last 365 days a year," she said.
The Love To Run program recently held a training run last week at the Boys & Girls Club's west side location. Jason Schraufnagel, training coordinator, said the mini marathon is less about a race and more about young people meeting a personal challenge.
"It's great to see kids saying, 'My stomach hurts' or 'My legs are sore,' but with a huge smile on their faces," he said.
Elias Phillips, 9, of Green Bay said his body got stronger and he made new friends after running in the program last year. Now he's especially excited because this year's event takes a trip through Lambeau Field.
Dr. Kristina Houn is a Prevea pediatrician and said young people must fit exercise into a daily routine.
"Kids are becoming more and more sedentary, and spending time in front of different types of screens, whether it be TV, games or computers. Finding more structured activities for them to participate in, is always a good thing," she said.
Kids participating in the mini marathon should be no younger than first grade, and they should have adult supervision at the race.
"Probably the worst injury we see is a sprained ankle," she said.
It's important the program builds up to longer distances, especially for training overweight young people, she said.
If the training moves too fast, "they're going to fatigue quickly, get frustrated and not want to do it anymore."
The Greater Green Bay YMCA introduced the "Food and Fun" program this school year, aimed at teaching young people healthy meal options.
"I think gym class and activity time during the school day is cut down, and it's recommended that kids have 60 minutes a day of physical activity," said spokesperson Sherri Valitchka.
About 985 young people learn about healthy eating at 22 sites throughout Brown County, she said.
A chef or dietician teaches children how to make snacks and they learn exercise techniques.
The program ends later this month but the goal is not on weight loss, but for children to learn healthy habits they can take home, she said.
— Press-Gazette
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