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Governor Rounds’ Healthy School Award
Recognition Program |
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Governor Mike Rounds is pleased to announce the
5th Annual Healthy School recognition award.
This award provides public schools with local
and state recognition for their leadership in
the area of school health programming including
the areas of nutrition services, health
services, health education, physical education,
counseling services, family and community
involvement and health promotion. Selected
schools will serve as models for other schools.
The recognition awards will be given to schools
at four levels: 1) elementary, 2) middle/junior
high 3) high school and 4) district-wide. The
top winners at each level will receive a banner
and a $5,000 Recognition Award.
The application for the Healthy School
recognition award will be available on February
4, 2008. The deadline for submitting
applications is April 15, 2008. Public school
superintendent/CEO, assistant superintendent,
principal or assistant principal can download a
copy of the application at
http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/index.asp.
If you have any questions, contact Kari Senger,
Coordinated School Health, South Dakota
Department of Education by e-mail to
kari.senger@state.sd.us
or by phone (605) 773-4257. |
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Survey Assesses Students' Health Risk Behaviors |
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The
2007 South Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Report was released on March 17th, 2007 to the
South Dakota Board of Education. The report
presents data from the South Dakota Youth Risk
Behavior Survey administered in 2007. Students
in grades 9-12 at randomly selected public,
private and Bureau of Indian Education schools
participated in the survey.
“We hope school and community leaders will use
this information to do program planning and
implementation that will improve the health of
their students,” said April Hodges, who is with
the Department of Education’s Coordinated School
Health Program.
Administered every other year, the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey is a questionnaire that assesses
the six priority health-risk behaviors that
result in the greatest amount of morbidity,
mortality and social problems among youth. These
six priority health-risk behaviors include:
injuries; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug
use; sexual behaviors that result in HIV
infection, other sexually transmitted diseases
and unintended pregnancy; poor dietary
behaviors; and physical inactivity.
Significant statistics identified in the report
include the following:
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24 percent of students, during the past 30
days, rode in a vehicle with a driver who
had been drinking alcohol
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13 percent of students, during the past 30
days, drove a vehicle when they had been
drinking alcohol
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18 percent seriously considered attempting
suicide in the past year
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55 percent have tried cigarettes
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34 percent have used marijuana
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5 percent have used methamphetamines
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46 percent have had sexual intercourse
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On an average school day, 24 percent watched
TV for three or more hours
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16 percent ate five or more servings of
fruits and vegetables per day during the
past seven days
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28 percent drank a can, bottle or glass of
soda or pop one or more times per day during
the past seven days
The South Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey is
funded by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the South Dakota Departments of
Education, Health and Human Services.
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Height Weight Data for 2006-2007School Year Down
Slightly |
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The percentage of South Dakota students who are
overweight or obese dropped slightly in the
state’s latest school height and weight survey.
For the 2006-2007 school year, 32.9 percent of
students were either overweight (16.6%) or obese
(16.3%). That compares to 33.8% of students who
were overweight or obese in the 2005-2006 school
year. Over 240 schools participated in the
2006-2007 efforts. The summary brochure and full
report are available at
http://doh.sd.gov/SchoolWeight/.
Schools who wish additional copies of the
summary brochure can order them directly by
going to
https://apps.sd.gov/applications/PH18Publications/secure/Puborder.asp,
click on Nutrition Tab, and scroll down to
School Height and Weight Report (items are in
alphabetical order). There are other items under
the nutrition tab and the physical activity tab
that might be of interest you and your school.
Schools should submit data for the 2007-2008
school year by June 15, 2008. Directions are
available at
http://doh.sd.gov/SchoolWeight/. |
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TV Running Your Life? |
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Join
Healthy South Dakota in recognizing National
Turn Off the TV Week, April 21-27 2008. The
purpose of this week is to encourage adults and
children to re-think and reassess the impact of
television, why we use it, how and what for. To
participate in National Turn off the TV Week,
simply turn off the TV or even unplug it for
seven days and participate in life. According to
The Television Project, by age 18 the American
child has seen 350,000 commercials and spent
more time watching television than any other
single activity. However, children 2-18 years of
age should only watch two hours of TV per day.
Identify alternative, interactive activities to
participate in that do not include the TV, video
games, or unproductive computer use and
encourage children and their parents to
participate.
Consider some of the following strategies to
reduce TV viewing and screen time: play a board
game, play outside, and participate in community
events, student challenge to watch little or no
TV and/or Center for Screen-Time Awareness
poster contest. Go to
http://www.screentime.org/actions.php?id=149
for details on how to participate in the poster
contest. For more information about the effects
of TV viewing go to
www.tvturnoff.org
or
www.thetvproject.com.
Click on this link and download a flyer that you
can print and hang in your school. Turn off the
TV and participate in life! |
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More Information
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Check out additional articles and information
under the tabs on the right. |
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