Public Health Insider: Refocusing the Picture of Health for Kids
It’s no surprise the pandemic caused a shift in Americans' physical activity and eating patterns, including among kids and teens.
From a continued decline in high-quality physical education to inequitable access to green spaces to a pervasive diet culture, America’s young people face a future of chronic health issues unless current trends are reversed.
Join College of Public Health and Human Sciences faculty as they discuss how educators and families can improve this generation’s health and be a positive advocate for healthful eating and physical activity habits.
About the speakers:
Kathy Gunter has a majority appointment in health extension and is a member of the kinesiology program faculty. She serves as director of the Healthy Lifestyles and Obesity Prevention Research Core at the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families. Her research focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating physical activity programs. She has directed these efforts toward individuals, families, child care environments, schools and rural populations. She is currently the principal investigator (with Deborah John) on a five-year, federally funded project to understand the effects of school and community environments on family and child physical activity and healthy eating behaviors, and child risk for obesity.
Megan MacDonald is an associate professor and the OSU IMPACT for Life faculty scholar in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences. MacDonald received a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan in 2011. She stresses that movement and physical activity are essential components in a healthy lifestyle for individuals at any age and ability. Her research interests are related to how motor skills and physically active lifestyles improve the lives of children and youth with and without disabilities. She has a specific research interest in the movement skills of children with autism spectrum disorder, including how to improve motor skills for children with autism and how motor skills interact with social communication skills.
Jenny Jackson is a clinical assistant professor of nutrition and director of the OSU Dietetic Internship Programs. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified health and wellness coach. Jackson’s research interests include community-based and epidemiological investigations focused on food security and the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors across the lifespan. Her current projects address food insecurity among U.S. college students. Previous projects include development of family home and school environmental assessment tools that help researchers understand environmental conditions that enable or hinder healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
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Online
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