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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Weighing Strategies as Preschool Obesity in MN Declines

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Friday, September 13, 2013   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – With a decline in the obesity rate among preschoolers in Minnesota reported in the latest data, the push is on to make that an ongoing trend.

Cory Woosley, professional development director with Child Care Aware of Minnesota, says part of the decrease can be attributed to better education and awareness on preventing childhood obesity and the associated health impacts.

The other major shift, explains Woosley, has come with a change in thinking by schools and child care providers on the food they're serving.

"It's about snack time, it's about portion sizes, nutrition and we're really focusing on what is the best way to feed the kids,” she says. “But even more important, I think we all know it's not just food, it's about physical activity too."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Minnesota was one of 19 states that saw a slight decline in preschool obesity between 2008 and 2011.

Despite the improvements, the number of obese preschoolers nationally is about one-in-eight.

When it comes to physical activity, Woosley says the biggest issues are televisions, computers, video games and the like, as many children in the country now spend more time in front of a screen in one day then is advised for an entire month.

"We do not want any screen time for kids under two and for two and older, they're saying one to two hours per week, which is extremely low compared to what actually is happening," she says.

Since many young children in Minnesota spend at least part of their day in child care, Woosley says her organization had a special team working with providers across the state, so they can provide the same type of support for the kids that they get at home.

"Kids are like little sponges and we are their role models,” she explains. “So we promote that our teachers are out there and being active and engaging with the kids and eating family style and social style, so the kids are seeing a good role model because they mimic what we do."

Obese children are more likely to become obese adults and suffer lifelong physical and mental health problems.






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