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COVID Lockdowns
& Unprecedented Obesity Levels
Help
FORWARD Help DuPage!
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Obesity has been a
severe public health crisis for years - and now it’s getting
worse. A new report published by the CDC
shows a surge in childhood obesity rates have reached
unprecedented levels during the pandemic. During this timeframe,
children and adolescents spent more time away from structured
school settings, and some families faced disruptions in income,
food, and other social determinants of health. As a result,
children and adolescents experienced increased stress, irregular
mealtimes, less access to nutritious foods, increased screen time,
and fewer opportunities for physical activity.
All these factors
correlate with an increase in weight and adverse outcomes of
COVID-19 including increases in hospitalizations, increases in
intensive care services, long-term health complications, and
mortality. While the severity of COVID-19 increases with age,
genetic factors and blood type, things we can’t control, it also
increases with things we can control through our behaviors.
FORWARD DuPage helps
DuPage County communities understand the importance of food
choices, physical activity, sleep and stress reduction.
- We
provide communities across DuPage County with access to
health and wellness resources.
- We
train and support childcare providers, pre-schools, home
visiting staff and schools to provide and promote
environments for children to learn healthy habits.
- We
work with municipal leaders and local governments to improve
the environment and make it easier for people of all
backgrounds to make healthier choices.
Never before has the
need been so great. Please consider making a donation to help
FORWARD DuPage reduce obesity, increase healthy programming for
our residents, and build a healthier DuPage County by
decreasing the negative outcomes of COVID-19.
Please click the
button below to make your donation and join us in our fight
against obesity. Every dollar counts!
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Resources, Resources, Resources!
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Healthy Lifestyles
in the News
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Adolescents' breakfast habits affected by
socio-economic and gender inequalities, study finds.
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Study: Diabetes rates in adolescents nearly doubled
since 2001.
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CDC: Kids gained weight during COVID-19.
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Heart healthy adults have lower lifetime risk of Type 2
Diabetes.
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If you want to support the health and wellness of kids,
stop focusing on their weight.
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Ranking the healthiness of foods from first to worst.
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New childcare investments to support parents and
providers.
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On World Mental Health Day, a renewed movement towards
equitable care.
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Unraveling the mystery of why we overeat.
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Illinois
Alliance to Prevent Obesity
Annual
Meeting: Advancing Health in Illinois
Tuesday, October 19
1:30pm to 4:30pm
Network with partners
from across the state supporting the health of Illinoisans. Discuss
policy implementation around health equity, nutrition/food systems,
build environment, lactation support and more for your community.
Register here.
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Facilitating
Family-School Partnerships at the School Level
Wednesday, October 20
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Learn about the best
way to develop trust and open lines of communication between school
staff and parents/caregivers. Register here.
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Supporting
Family-School Partnerships at the District Level
Wednesday, October 27
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Learn
about the best way to develop trust and open lines of communication
between district staff and parents/caregivers. Register here.
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NourishEd
Food Access & Healthy Eating: Strategies & Tools for
Families & Caregivers
Thursday, October 28
11:00am to 12:00pm
Learn more about
nutrition education and promotion at home, school meal
opportunities, federal meal requirements and strategies for
supporting healthy eating at home. Register here.
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Connected
for a Cause: Mental Health and Well-Being Community Panel
Tuesday, November 9
6:15pm to 7:15pm
Anxiety, depression,
thoughts of suicide, feelings of being alone; due to COVID,
families are struggling now more than ever before with their social
and emotional health. The time to talk is now. Register here.
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Pumpkin
Night Hike for Families
Saturday, October 23
Use pumpkins or
lanterns to light your way on a self-guided night hike through
Fullersburg Woods. $10 per person ages 3 and up. View available
times and register here or at 630.933.7248.
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October 23 - November
29
8:30am - 10:00am
Get some healthy
exercise and enjoy the wonders of a DuPage forest preserve on a
guided 3- to 5- mile hike. Ages 18 and up. $5 per person. View
dates/location and register here or call
630.206.9630.
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Volunteer
Restoration Workdays
October 23 - December
20
Help improve a forest
preserve by collecting seeds or removing nonnative plants. View
dates/times/location and register here or call
630.206.9630.
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Saturday, October 23
11:00am to 2:00pm
Celebrate 10 years of
guaranteeing access to fresh produce in Chicago’s Western Suburbs.
Purchase tickets here.
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Illinois
Department of Transportation
Survey Closes
Wednesday, October 27
The goal of the
survey is to demonstrate why the state selects one project over
another. Access survey here.
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Illinois
Alliance to Prevent Obesity
Roundtable
on Obesity Solutions
Systems &
Obesity: Advances & Innovations for Equitable Health &
Well-Being
Thursday, October 28
- 9:00am to 1:45pm
Friday, October 29 -
12:00pm to 3:00pm
This workshop will
explore how to advance strategies for sustainable systems-wide
changes that leverage the three drivers. (biased mental
models/social norms, structural racism, and health communications).
Register here.
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The
Conservation Foundation
October 28 - November
20
Immerse yourself in
nature and experience the healing effects of forest therapy or
Shinrin-Yoku. View dates/times and register here.
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Health
Optimization in a Toxic World
Tuesdays at 6:45pm
November
9 & December
14
We owe it to
ourselves to use natural means to maintain and restore our
health. Click links above to register.
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Thursday, November 18
7:30am to 4:00pm
Staying Alive:
Surviving, Thriving, and Moving On… Find more information and
register here.
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Application Deadline
Wednesday, December 1
With
support from The Rockefeller Foundation, this funding will support
builders who embrace a systems-based approach to navigate the
complexity of food systems. Apply here.
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Survey Closes
Wednesday, December 1
The survey assesses
community themes and strengths to better understand DuPage County.
Access survey here.
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Active
Transportation Alliance
Thursday, December 2
6:00pm to 7:00pm
Meet your Active
Trans supporters/staff and learn about accomplishments from the
past year. Read more here.
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Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation
Evidence
of Action (E4A) Call for Proposals
Applications Due on
Rolling Basis
E4A funds research
that expands the evidence needed to build a Culture of Health. A
Culture of Health is broadly defined as one in which good health
and well-being flourish across geographic, demographic, and social
sectors. Click here to apply.
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The challenges facing children and families to support
healthy lifestyles will take the combined passions, expertise and
influence of many. If you're reading this message, you are one of
those influencers. Join us in our mission:
Donate - Too many families
don't have access to the services and resources they need to stay
healthy. Every dollar will support FORWARD DuPage's work to build
capacity in communities where the need is great and the resources are
too few.
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Sign-Up - Join our coalition
of thousands of partners so we can drive change for children and
families and improve healthy lifestyle outcomes together.
Share Our Message - Spread the word
about the impact we have had on our website or on the social media
links at the bottom of the page.
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Do you subscribe to the
IMPACT DuPage Newsletter?
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Impact DuPage is a
county-wide initiative of partner organizations working to influence
change in the areas of affordable housing, access to health
treatment, behavioral health treatment, substance abuse and healthy
lifestyles. FORWARD is Impact DuPage’s vehicle to help influence
residents and partners to make positive choices regarding nutrition,
physical activity, and the built environment
to advance health status
improvement.
For more details and to
stay up to date on local progress, click here and subscribe to their twice a month newsletter.
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Help Us Get the Word
Out!
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Do you know of an upcoming event or health fair in
DuPage County?
5-4-3-2-1 Go!® is
a public education message with recommendations for children and
families to promote a healthy lifestyle.
- 5
servings of fruits and vegetables a day
- 4
servings of water a day
- 3
servings of low-fat dairy a day
- 2 or
less hours of screen time a day
- 1 or
more hours of physical activity a day
For helpful resources and ideas for your DuPage County
organization click here.
If you are interested in distributing health and
wellness materials at an upcoming event call 630.221.7550 or email healthpromotions@dupagehealth.org or Tonia Batogowski at toniabato@gmail.com.
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We would like to thank
our funders!
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