June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 24

Community Center

which reduce the quality of life for
the individual and, oftentimes, the
family. Currently, at the national level, an estimated 16 percent of children between the ages of six and 18
are considered obese or overweight.
This is up from 5.7 percent in 1980.
In the state of Missouri, a recent assessment of 20,000 fifth and ninth
graders found that 40 percent were
overweight or at risk of being overweight. Research indicates that 80
percent of overweight adolescents
will go on to become obese adults, so
the future health for these children is
in serious jeopardy. Causes of these
conditions include a lack of physical
activity, poor dietary habits and an
inability to implement positive lifestyle choices (behaviors). As children
grow up in these environments, they
develop similar lifestyles and make
similar lifestyle choices, thus continuing the cycle of obesity.
22 Parks & Recreation

Through the RevUP
Community Wellness
Program, LSPR uses
specific action to improve
physical, social, economic
and psychological
components of wellness.
While some communities are addressing these issues through education, LSPR knows this is only
part of the solution. Education has
to be converted to behavior changes. In Lee's Summit, we have taken
what we think are the best practices
for health and wellness and merged

| J U N E 2 0 1 6 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

them with a program called RevUp.
Because health and wellness go far
beyond the physical factors that influence sickness and disease, LSPR focuses on the implementation of effective
programs that target the socioeconomic, psychological and emotional aspects
of health. Through the RevUp Community Wellness Program, LSPR uses
specific action to improve physical,
social, economic and psychological
components of wellness. Community
members can take part in a 12-week,
all inclusive, lifestyle change program
that provides them with the skills and
knowledge necessary to develop sustainable healthy habits. The program
includes the following:
* Health risk assessments that raise
awareness of potential underlying
lifestyle causes of disease that may
exist
* Small-group personal training
* A nutrition-change program focusing on specific real-world knowledge for improving dietary habits
* At least six points of contact each
week with participants to improve
social wellness and accountability
Participants are assigned a personal
trainer and coach to provide individual care and support. Sponsorships
from local hospitals help reduce the
cost of participation as well as increase our citizen's ability to access
these programs. More than 800 citizens have participated in the program
as individuals and couples, as well as
employees of private, nonprofit businesses and nonprofit organizations.
I encourage each of you not to be
one of the negative statistics. " Move
More, Eat Less, " " Use It or Lose It, "
and " Start Now! "
J. Thomas Lovell, Jr., CPRP, is the
Administrator of Parks and Recreation at
Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation (tlovell@
cityofls.net).

June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2016 - Parks & Recreation