Reading, Writing, and…Wellness!

Every now and then, during my appearances in elementary schools, I run across a program that knocks my socks off. The Zest Quest wellness program now has that honor. Thanks to Zest Quest, students and faculty in fourteen South Carolina elementary schools benefit from a full-time wellness coach on campus. What’s a wellness coach? Sometimes used in large companies to reduce employee health care costs and increase worker productivity, wellness coaches motivate, educate, and support their clients toward creating a healthier lifestyle. The “clients” in this case happen to carry backpacks rather than briefcases, but the goal is the same.
 
Launched in 2004, Zest Quest is a non-profit educational health initiative designed to encourage kids to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. The Zest Quest program works in conjunction with school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, community mentors, students and their families. The program and its wellness coaches are funded by Cliff Communities, a large developer of golf communities in the Carolinas.  It’s a perfect example of business giving back the community.

If it sounds good on paper, it’s even better in practice. I had the opportunity to observe and interview the Zest Quest wellness coach at South Carolina’s Tigerville Elementary to gain some insight. Her name is Brady Godfrey. On a typical day she arrives at school at the crack of dawn to facilitate the morning walking club. Her school day is packed with a series of 30-minute lessons on fitness and nutrition. She’s active with the kids at recess and eats lunch with them in the cafeteria, where the students proudly show her their healthy food choices. After school, she and the P.E. teacher lead the Tigerville running club. Every week she distributes and calculates the students’ Zest Quest Tracker, an at-home monitoring system where the kids list their healthy habits for the week and return it signed by a parent. Zest Quest provides prizes as incentives.

Although no formal studies have been completed yet on the program, Brady can attest to its benefits in real life.  Ever since she taught the students how to read food labels, they’ve become pros in the grocery store. “Sometimes the parents gets annoyed,” she admits. “They’re harder to change.” But many parents are rising to the task and coming to her for advice on how to make their families healthier. The number of parents and kids attending the school health fair and annual 5K run is steadily increasing. It should be noted that Tigerville is a rural community. Many health officials say the tide of obesity is rising faster in rural communities than anywhere else. The wellness coach at school is the bridge to better health in the home.

Why is all this important? Perhaps I’ve been influenced by the constant campaigning of the 2008 election, but I feel compelled to step up on a soapbox. Here it goes: Considering the alarming rate of childhood obesity and related illnesses in America, it’s imperative we have more models like Zest Quest in our schools. About a third of today’s kids are overweight or obese. This generation will experience complications from being unfit, like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, at a younger age than the generations before them. Not only will this diminish quality of life, but the monetary toll in health care will be enormous. Studies show we develop our health and fitness habits at a young age. Imagine if all kids in rural or low-income elementary schools, and their families, could be inspired by a wellness coach like Brady. There has to be more socially-conscious, health-minded business leaders in America who are willing to invest in the wellness of our kids.

Disagree with me? I’m always up for a healthy debate! You can e-mail me at Kristen@healthnews.com