In the Spotlight
United Way and community partners celebrated “Week of the Young Child”
United Way and community partners celebrated “Week of the Young Child”
April 22-28, 2012 was the “The Week of the Young Child” in South Carolina, and several community events throughout the week focused on the importance of getting our children ready, reading and succeeding in school. Since the Kids Count Data Book has been established, SC has consistently ranked among the bottom eight states in the nation in its comparative assessment of the well-being of its children. Children face multiple obstacles that threaten and impact their health and overall well-being, including factors such as physical activity, nutrition and sleep.
United Way of the Midlands invited Dr. David Walsh, one of the country’s leading authorities on children, teens, and parenting to give the keynote address at the spring Community Assembly on April 26. Dr. Walsh provided insight on what the latest research tells us about setting children on the path to success, health, and happiness. He described the roles that nutrition, exercise, sleep, play, and media have in children’s development, and why structure and regular school attendance are critical for success.
Below is a link to Dr. Walsh’s presentation, as well as some statistics on Child Wellness provided by DHEC. For information on the next Community Assembly watch uway.org/events or contact Bunnie Ward at bward@uway.org.
Statistics on Child Wellness1
- Almost 1 in every 3 (31.7 percent) S.C. high school students is overweight or obese.
- More than 1 in every 4 (28.9 percent) low-income children ages 2-5 are overweight or obese in S.C.
- Studies have shown that obese adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
- According to the 2009 SC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 85.3 percent of S.C. high school students had not eaten fruits and vegetables five or more times per day within the 7 days prior to the survey.
1 DHEC February 2011 statistics
