FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Nov. 11, 2005
Contact: Beverly McCoy, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, (304) 691-1713
 

Marshall medical students hold fitness fairs
for Lavalette, Altizer students

 HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall medical students will help fifth‑graders dance, jump and race their way toward healthier lifestyles this month at Lavalette and Altizer elementary schools.

The "Let's Get Moving" fitness fairs will be held Nov. 15 at Lavalette Elementary and Nov. 22 at Altizer Elementary. An expansion of a program begun by medical students this spring, the fairs are the first of at least 10 planned for the current school year.

"The medical students organized three 'Let's Get Moving' fitness fairs last year and the success was incredible. The smiles on the students' faces said it all,” said Dr. Aaron McGuffin, senior associate dean for medical student education. “The children of West Virginia need to know that we care about their health and that fitness can be fun.”

Third-year medical student Samantha Cook of Huntington, one of the program's organizers, said medical students will supervise several activity stations in each school's gym. The fifth‑graders will rotate among the stations, competing for dozens of prizes for activities ranging from jumping rope and running an obstacle course to the video game Dance Dance Revolution. Two winners of a "Physical Fitness" essay contest at each school will receive bicycles and helmets. Students also will rotate through a nutrition station where they will learn about making healthy food choices and the most recent changes to the food pyramid.

At one station, medical students will privately check each child's blood pressure, height, weight and calculate their body mass index. Each child's health information will be sent home to his or her parents in a sealed packet, along with information about how excess weight contributes to diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Cook said.

In addition, for children with abnormal blood pressure or BMI measurements, parents will receive a recommendation to follow up with their child's physician. For children who do not have a physician, contact information will be provided for physicians who have agreed to see any child referred by the program: University Pediatrics in Huntington and Dr. Adam Franks and Dr. Kevin McCann of University Family Practice of Wayne County.

The West Virginia State Medical Association has provided $2,000 to support the Let's Get Moving fairs, and local businesses are providing significant additional support by donating prizes for the events.

"We at the State Medical Association are proud to support this project," said Sen. Evan Jenkins, its executive director. "It's terrific for the med students to take this initiative, and hopefully their work will help our state's youth make good, healthy lifestyle choices."

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