The Board adopted additions to their wellness policy to improve the health of students and staff based on recommendations from Elevate Student Health
The Tyrone School Board passed improvements to their district wellness policy, a move that will impact the health of the over 210 students in the Texas County school district.
The policy updates include ensuring their schools' health education curricula will align to the Oklahoma Academic Standards and the Health Education Act requirements.
Two Tyrone High School students, Izabella DeLeon and Emma Brecheisen, participating in Elevate Student Health, recommended updates to the district’s wellness policy based on evidence for what elements would have the greatest impact on youth and staff health.
Elevate Student Health is funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) through the Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) program.
Most children consume as much as half of their daily calories at school, and so schools have a tremendous opportunity to improve the health of their students. This is why Elevate Student Health partners with districts across the state to improve their wellness policies through greater access to nutritious foods, increased physical activity and more opportunities to drink water throughout the day.
Recent CDC data show that about 16.9 percent of Oklahoma youth ages 10 to 17 experience obesity, one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation. While weight does not equal health, children with obesity are more likely to develop chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, lower self-esteem and self-reported lower quality of life.
Physical inactivity and poor nutrition remain two of the leading behavioral risk factors for obesity. In Oklahoma, only 26.8 percent of high school students get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and roughly 15 percent drink soda two or more times per day Oklahoma Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Joshua Bell, superintendent of Tyrone Public Schools, said, “Healthy students build stronger schools. When we improve wellness, we improve learning, leadership, and the future of our community.”
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Elevate Student Health is an initiative working to improve the health of Oklahoma youth through comprehensive physical activity and nutrition policies in schools. It is funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). For more information, visit ElevateStudentHealth.com.
Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is a statewide youth-led initiative that partners with schools and organizations to make meaningful and measurable impact on Oklahoma by promoting healthy behaviors. For more information, visit yahlok.org.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more, go to oklahoma.gov/TSET.
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