Blue Cross, Blue Shield Wisconsin: Foundation Donates Guides to Promote Family Engagement in Healthy Living

Media Contact: Jill Becher
(414) 226-5413

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -More Wisconsin families will now have access to a guide that will help them find ways to incorporate healthy eating and physical activity into their daily routine. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin Foundation (BCBSWi) donated more than 300,000 copies of Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids, an educational nutrition and physical activity guide to be distributed through the Office of Governor Jim Doyle and the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians Foundation. The guides will be offered free-of-charge to families and health care professionals statewide.

BCBSWi donated one-half million copies of the Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids guide in 2004. The guides have been distributed to physicians, schools, and families throughout Wisconsin to help them tackle one of the most challenging barriers to solving the problem of childhood obesity — how to start a dialogue on this highly sensitive health epidemic.

The educational guide was developed by BCBSWi and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and was reviewed by more than 200 physicians and a panel of registered dietitians from across the nation. Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids stresses family participation and provides practical strategies for engaging the entire family in healthy eating and more physical activity. The guide provides easy-to-follow tips and tricks for healthy living, including:

* The “Healthy Habits Quiz” to identify where a family may want to make changes
* Information about how to set healthy, realistic goals
* A guide to nutritious foods
* Ways to include more physical activity in a daily routine
* Healthy hints for eating out with kids

“We are pleased with the response to this guide and are delighted to partner with Governor Doyle and the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians to distribute additional copies that will help empower families with information and resources to live healthier lives,” said Stuart K. Campbell, president, BCBSWi.

“Battling childhood obesity starts with parents, healthcare professionals, and teachers working together to educate our kids and promote good physical health and nutrition,” Governor Doyle said. “This guide is an important tool to make sure kids and parents are informed, and thanks to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin Foundation, more teachers, parents, and healthcare professionals in Wisconsin can use this guide to help our kids live healthier lifestyles now and in the future.”

Healthy Habits for Healthy Kids is available free in electronic format in English and Spanish at www.bluecrosswisconsin.com, www.eatright.org and http://healthykids.wisconsin.gov/. Hard copies of the guide can be ordered through Governor Doyle’s office at 414 227-4344.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin Foundation Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin Foundation focuses on initiatives that will make health care more accessible and affordable, improve quality of care, support the development of health-related public policy, and help establish best practices in medicine. The Foundation focuses on developing social investment programs and partnering with nonprofit public charities whose projects and programs closely align with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin’s health care priorities.