Healthy Kids and Kidneys

Michigan Nightlight: In your view, what makes your program innovative, effective or remarkable?
National Kidney Foundation of Michigan Director of Health Initiatives Denise Beach: I think it has evolved so much since we initially started it. In terms of the methodology behind the curriculum, the students are setting health goals. It’s group-centered experimental learning. Our nutrition program is based on experiences students share in the classroom or at home. We have a very colorful and interactive book for our students. We also use the My Game Plan component, which offers students the opportunity to discuss their progress with classmates, as well as problem solve. It’s very innovative and creative. We attribute the increase in positive health behaviors we have had year after year to some of those things, like My Game Plan. We also

In terms of talking to principals, the hardest part we ran into was having the door shut, since they’re thinking, “Here is something else we have to do with teachers.”

have a strong volunteer lay health educator base; the volunteer commitment in the past couple of years from places like Oakland University and the hospitals has been a real blessing for us.
 
What was the best lesson learned in the past year?
Students really want to learn about nutrition, and be healthy, and be active. The age groups we work with are really becoming concerned about their body image and health. A lot of them have parents that have chronic diseases. They are aware of that, but not how nutrition affects chronic disease. They want to learn themselves so they can teach their families about healthy grocery shopping, how to read labels, and how to prepare food. They’re able to take the information that we give them, and they’re sharing that information.
 
What was the hardest lesson learned in the past year?
Developing partnerships. With the funding the way it is, everybody has a program they are trying to fund and to collaborate with other organizations on. The hardest thing was getting into schools and easing the conscience of the instructors that we’re not putting additional work on them. We’re fitting into the curriculum they are already teaching. In terms of talking to principals, the hardest part we ran into was having the door shut, since they’re thinking, “Here is something else we have to do with teachers.” We’re finally getting across our message and having teachers call us because they have heard about our programs in other schools.
 
What really differentiates this program?
That voluntary lay health educators run it, and that we use the My Game Plan healthy goal activities. We still do a lot of recruitment, but a lot of our lay educators come to it through word of mouth. We now have students from major universities

When we talk about the effects of chronic disease, it’s something they can relate to. When we talk about nutrition and physical activity and how they can delay some of those chronic diseases, it hits home.

who are in certain curriculums who do our teaching, but it started out through word of mouth.
 
What are the keys to success for your program?
Our willingness to look at various components of the program with a critical eye and listen to our volunteers. They have played a major part in the evolution of the programs, in changing curriculums, and sometimes changing ideas we present. We evaluate whether we are producing the outcomes we want annually, by looking at feedback from students, teachers, volunteers and making changes where we see it is going to benefit the students.
 
How do you get the message across to middle school kids that choices they make now can affect them for the rest of their lives?
I think it’s because of the population we deal with. Many of them are from low-income families and a lot of them are minority students, and have chronic disease in their families. When we talk about the effects of chronic disease, it’s something they can relate to. When we talk about nutrition and physical activity and how they can delay some of those chronic diseases, it hits home. They’re able to relate to the chronic disease piece, and they are eager to hear about it. They are given information about the tools they need to enhance the lives of their loved ones, so they really can connect with what we’re talking about.