Healthy Living Niagaras Mission:

1
Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Healthy Living Niagaras Mission
• To generate commitment to healthy eating,
• physical activity, and smoke-free living among
• the people of Niagara to enhance cardiovascular
• health and improve health status.
• Heart disease is the leading cause of death
• in Ontario.

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease
• Non-Modifiable things we CAN NOT change
• age, gender, family history, diabetes
• Modifiable things we CAN change
• unhealthy eating, tobacco-use, physical
  inactivity, body weight, stress, alcohol usage,
  elevated blood pressure, elevated blood
  cholesterol

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award Program (HHSA)
• The HHSA Program is an incentive based program
  for Niagaras elementary schools.
• The program encourages and supports lifestyle
  habits that can improve the heart health of
  students, their families and school staff.
• Award certificates are presented to participating
  schools yearly in recognition of their successes.

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Hearty Healthy School Award Program
• This program is designed to help schools improve
  the health of the school community by adopting,
  implementing and maintaining heart healthy
  activities and policies.
• To make a long-term impact, education must be
  combined with skill building activities and
  social reinforcement.
• Helping children to adopt positive lifestyle
  habits early in life gives them the best chance
  at a healthy adulthood.
• The HHSA program focuses on the three major
  modifiable risk factors for heart disease
  physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and
  tobacco-use.

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award Criteria
• All Niagara elementary schools are eligible to
  participate each year.
• Your school can receive gold, silver or bronze
  level status for each of the following behaviours
  that are important for heart health
• Healthy Eating
• Physical Activity
• Tobacco-free Living

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award Criteria
• Gold, silver or bronze level status is achieved
  in each behaviour depending on the level of
  involvement in the following four categories
• Curriculum
• School Policies and Programs
• Family and School Involvement
• School Based Activities
• Gold level status indicates involvement in all of
  the categories, silver status in three, and
  bronze in two.

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award Criteria
• We encourage activities that involve the whole
  school community as much as possible. Potential
  activities are listed on the HHSA Recording
  Document.
• Example Healthy Eating Curriculum
• Power for Bones (Grade 5)
• Example Physical Activity School Based
  Activities
• TV Turnoff Campaign
• Example Tobacco Free Living School Policies
  Programs
• Tobacco Enforcement Officer Presentation

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award
• Process
• Complete the on-line registration form
  (regardless of past participation) by October
  30th.
• Form a Heart Healthy School Award Team of
  individuals who are committed to improving the
  health of your school - parents, teachers,
  students and staff.
• Choose a person to keep track of, and record your
  activities.
• Record your qualifying activities and level of
  participation on the HHSA Recording Document
  accessible through www.healthylivingniagara.com.
  Activities can be recorded on-line throughout the
  year as they occur.
• Submit your completed recording document online
  at the end of the school year.
• Attend the Celebration Event in the fall. Award
  winning schools will receive certificates that
  highlight their achievements.

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Heart Healthy School Award Program

• Heart Healthy School Award
• A total of 133 Niagara elementary schools
  participated in the Heart Healthy School Award
  Program during the 2005-2006 school year.
• A small time commitment by an interested group of
  individuals can reap big rewards to the health
  and well being of your school community.
• Questions