In an effort to increase physical activity among residents, the Chattanooga Hamilton County Health Department’s Step ONE (Optimize with Nutrition and Exercise) program worked with the Hamilton County Department of Education to develop an “Open Use” policy. This policy makes all public elementary school playgrounds available for recreation and fitness use after school hours.
“Obesity is a complex health issue that needs to be addressed through not only lifestyle modification but also with community policies,” claims John Bilderback, Program Manager for the Health Department’s Step ONE program. “The Open Use policy is one way to make the healthy choice an easy choice. If families have to drive to a park or other recreation space, or the distance to those parks is too far, they are less likely to make the decision to go at all. This policy change puts more recreation spaces within reach of our residents.”
With the school year coming to a close, Step ONE and the Hamilton County Department of Education encourage residents to take advantage of these community spaces over the summer. The availability of some playgrounds may vary based on summer school and school-aged childcare schedules but the Open Use policy is in effect year round.
“We are proud to be a part of this creative solution for our families and communities at no additional expense to the school system,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly, “We believe in healthy bodies as well as healthy minds.”
The Open Use policy comes at a time when 66% of adults and 27% of high school students in Hamilton County are either overweight or obese, according to the Health Department’s latest Community Health Assessment completed in November 2015. The economic impact of obesity-related medical expenses to Hamilton County is estimated to be $205.7 million annually. The US Department of Health and Human Service’s “Healthy People 2020” program seeks to reduce the national obesity rates at least 10% by the year 2020.
Obesity is a major risk factor in the development of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Other risk factors contributing to these diseases include tobacco use, elevated blood cholesterol levels, alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity. While reducing or eliminating any of these risk factors is helpful, increasing the amount of physical activity that one gets in a week can become one of the most important protective factors.
The Step ONE program is a Hamilton County initiative whose mission is “to create a culture of health where residents choose to eat healthy and be physically active.” The Step ONE program is developing this culture with non-profit, private, and public partners, such as the Hamilton County Department of Education, through policy changes and nutrition programs. Step ONE was instrumental in establishing the Chattanooga Mobile Market, now managed by partner YMCA, which brings healthier food choices into neighborhoods that lack such. Seeking to redefine the relationship between people and food, Step ONE’s Teaching Garden Program provides grants to help neighborhoods establish community gardens.
For more information about the Open Use policy, or about Step ONE Teaching Garden grants, please visit hcstep1.org or call(423) 209-8142. As a reminder, scheduled activities of the individual school and school-aged childcare receive priority. The use of elementary school playgrounds under the policy must occur after all school sponsored events have concluded.