Bonding reality with healthy choices
The following article is the
second in a series dedicated to Women’s History month and the national
theme, “Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams” featured in The
Catalyst throughout March. by Heather Woolwine
Public Relations
Scotty Buff opened her scrapbook and pointed out pictures of children happily creating healthy snacks and copies of a special workbook designed to teach children how to achieve a healthier way of life. The College of Graduate Studies student can’t conceal her delight when it comes to the Junior Doctors of Health program at Fraser Elementary in downtown Charleston.
College of Graduate
Studies student Scotty Buff hands out healthy snacks at the Fraser
Elementary's Arts on the Green festival.“We started this program when I was a Presidential Scholar, and the concept was to teach children in the community at a young age to integrate healthy living into their lifestyles, as well as possibly getting them to think about a career in health care,” Buff said. “We named them ‘junior doctors’ because we wanted to confer upon them that they’re in control of helping themselves and others live healthy lifestyles.”
Buff and the original group of other Presidential Scholars who began the program sought out fourth graders at two elementary schools, including Fraser, because they realized how eager this age group of children is to learn. Also, Buff and her co-creators felt that it’s never too early to begin thinking about college, healthy living and how to help the community.
“My mom has been a schoolteacher for almost 40 years, and when I was growing up, I noticed how much people are like sponges and want and need to learn new information, especially in that age-group,” Buff said. “I also felt that by working with children from a diverse environment, we had the potential to increase diversity and interest in health care professions in the future.”
Once the program concluded the first year, Buff found herself on a mission to make sure the program continued yearly at Fraser, not only because the school faculty and administrators thought it was a good idea, but the children seemed to really like it too. “When I talked with my mom about the program, and what would be best for the children and the school, she told me that the most important thing was to sustain the program,” Buff said. “She told me that coming in and doing a program and then leaving was not going to have the desired impact; instead, I needed to find a way to keep it going so that everyone could really buy into it.”
And keep it going she has, despite a very busy school and work schedule. Buff now has the coordination help of three second-year College of Medicine students, Rachel Rosansky, Ashley Costa, and Brittany Ray. Student volunteers from a wide variety of programs at MUSC including the COM, pharmacy, dietetic interns, and other health professions are teaching at Fraser this year. Seven different classes of students will learn the power of healthy eating and exercise on the human body.
Teaching the children about proper nutrition and exercise is no small feat, especially since children from underserved and underprivileged areas tend to not have as much access to health information as their counterparts from a more middleclass background. Buff’s program is designed to provide that vital link between health care education and the reality of their socioeconomic status, and thus bridge the gap. She mentioned that understanding the realities of people from all backgrounds is an incredibly important skill for today’s health care professionals, and is easily acquired though outreach and community activities and efforts.
“People have said since the program began that they didn’t realize how important it is to get out into the community, and how much the community needs health care professionals to reach out to them,” Buff said. “If you’re always waiting for the right time to get involved, you’ll never do it. Once you begin a project like this or any community effort really, it becomes a part of your life. It is enormously gratifying to know that because of the program, these children are thinking about their food choices and exercise, whereas before those kinds of thoughts were either nonexistent or filed away as something to think more about when they’re grown up.”
During the first session of the program, MUSC student volunteers conduct an open discussion with the students to discover their eating habits. Volunteers familiarize the children with the food pyramid, the difference between healthy and non-healthy snacks, introduce a food log to record their eating habits, and demonstrate the preparation of healthy snacks.
“The children really love to make ants-on-a-log with bananas, coconut, raisins, and peanut butter,” Buff said. “We try not to preach to them and instead encourage them to balance their diets with enough healthy food to stay fit, without telling them they have to eliminate all the things that they already like. We try to teach them moderation with foods that may not be as good for them.”
In addition, Buff and the other volunteers tell the children that it’s okay not to like certain fruits or vegetables, but that the important point is to find things that they do like because not everything that’s healthy tastes bad.
In the following sessions, students review their food logs, start an exercise log, make a jump rope or walking weights, and review all the healthy tips taught during the previous sessions. The last session requires students use what they’ve learned during all sessions to make a list of healthy foods that they enjoy and others they didn’t care for as much. Those lists are then given to students’ parents so they may encourage healthy eating at home. “We try really hard to stress balance. We tell them that if they go to McDonald’s for lunch, get the small fry and water instead of a large fry and a Coke,” Buff said.
The MUSC student volunteers conclude the program with a plastic replica of the human body to help explain the physiological importance of proper nutrition and exercise. In addition they explain South Carolina’s most prominent health problems which a healthy diet and exercise may help deter, including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
During the program, Buff said that relationships among the children and the volunteers serve not only a positive purpose in terms of teaching nutrition and exercise principles, but also inspire volunteers and students alike to maintain a preventative track to proper health. “I really love the mentoring aspect of the program, as well as conveying such important information to these children,” Buff said. “And in a way it made me healthier too; I can’t very well tell students to exercise and eat right and not do it myself.”
Buff also recognized a need early in the program to reach out to the students’ parents. Wednesday evenings while the program is in session, parents can come to the school and receive health information from MUSC groups like dietetic interns and REACH 2010. Topics range from dental hygiene in children to how to access health information online.
“The family nights are great because so many of the parents who participated didn’t know that diet can play such a role in preventing diabetes. It’s also been very neat to watch them learn how to navigate and research health topics on the Internet,” Buff said. “The parents are very enthusiastic about the program, and so many have been surprised to know that their children will eat healthier foods. I’ve heard many times from parents that often they won’t offer a healthy choice because they assume the child won’t eat it. It’s really been a great program for parents and students who’ve participated.”
In addition to the original program, a group within this year’s Presidential Scholars program implemented a more concentrated exercise component. Children participating in “Junior Doctors of Health” at Fraser work out with the scholars in their physical education classes and will take part in this year’s bridge run for children in late March.
Creating and implementing a community project can be a vast undertaking. There are schedules, different groups to accommodate, and the community expects outreach efforts of high caliber to better the lives of the people who live in it.
“You have to be flexible and realize that everyone’s needs and schedules are just as important as your own agenda,” Buff said. “A past Presidential Scholar, Ricky Choi, once made a comment that really inspired me. While talking about making a difference, he said that ‘you have to build the boat as you’re sailing it.’ Sometimes you might feel like you’re not ready to try to make a difference, but if you stop long enough to realize the importance of your effort and how much it’s needed in the community, then you’ll become empowered to take on anything required to make your dream for a particular community a success.”
Friday, March 17, 2006
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