Windsor
The presentations are part of Vermont’s 3-4-50 program to educate people about three common behaviors that contribute to four preventable, chronic diseases that account for more than 50 percent of deaths in the state each year. Lack of exercise, poor diet and tobacco use can have a serious negative impact on one’s quality of health and lifespan by resulting in cancer, hypertension and stroke, Type 2 diabetes and lung disease.
On April 6, Andrea Wooding, an intern from the Dartmouth Institute working at Mt. Ascutney, gave presentations to third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes at Hartland Elementary School about the dangers of smoking, the benefits of exercise and the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. On May 25, Wooding returned with Jill Lord, director of community health, to pass out free packets of carrot seeds with more health information and to congratulate students on their commitment to their own health.
Lord said the presentations are designed to get young people thinking about the health choices they make and how those choices can affect them later in life.
“Prepackaged foods can be convenient and inexpensive, but their health costs are too high,” she said in a news release. “Our goal is to help young people and their families understand the lifelong benefits of making healthy dietary choices from an early age. We want the children to experience the health benefits of daily exercise and not smoking. They can actually prevent disease by the choices they make.”
Wooding engaged the students in exercise games, coloring activities and voting for their favorite vegetables.
“That guided the selection of carrot seed packets, which we handed out with instructions for planting and reminders of their health benefits,” she explained. “Growing their own food helps them appreciate the process because the more mindful and respectful we are of the things we eat, the more likely we are to eat healthily.”