HOST Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Roundup
The latest in our regular roundups of healthy eating and physical activity news from HOST members and others.
Policy
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) has issued a proposed Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) rule that would simplify and clarify SFSP program requirements. The Food Research & Action Center has more details and a form for you to submit comments, which are due by March 23.
- The USDA has also announced "proactive flexibilities to allow meal service during school closures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus."
Events
- The State of Massachusetts is offering free Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) Training on Tuesday, March 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Leominster, Mass. The training will provide an overview of a CSPAP and an opportunity to identify and develop strategies to use in your school and afterschool settings. Register here.
- Salud America! is hodling a tweetchat on "Strategies for Social Justice and Health Equity," Tuesday, March 17, 2020, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT). Join in on Twitter with the hashtag #SaludTues.
Tips, Resources, and Ideas
- Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) has launched a Take Action for Healthy Kids campaign, calling on parents, caregivers, and others "to take 1 million actions by 2025 to help prioritize and advance children’s health and well-being in the U.S."
- The CDC is expanding its resources for Spanish-speaking parents to help them become more involved in school health initiatives.
- Marathon Kids profiles the Bobcat Roadrunners Club at Copperfield Elementary School and the Lions Running Club at Santos Livas Elementary School, both in Texas.
- It's Time Texas shares healthy tips from 10 Texans who participated in its Community Challenge, an eight-week competition to transform communities' health.
Research
- Salud America! shares a recent study from Yale University that looked at the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program's (SNAP's) Online Purchase Pilot (OPP), which gave beneficiaries the option of using SNAP to purchase groceries online for delivery. The OPP "has the potential to help those families who live in areas that lack access to fresh foods and produce," it concluded.
Celebrating
- The Afterschool Alliance is celebrating its 20th anniversary, including achievements related to afterschool meals and student health.
- Safe Routes to School National Partnership is holding a "Safe Routes in All Weather" photo contest. Submit your photo showing "how you get around when the weather is gloomy, gray, gusty, or just great."