Press Releases

The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition Applauds Major New HHS Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative

Major new funding to promote physical activity and nutrition programs will help America make strides toward ending the childhood obesity epidemic

(Washington, DC) American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) CEO and President Susan Finn, PhD, RD, today commended HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for championing a major new investment directed at creating and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits among Americans. The initiative, “Communities Putting Prevention to Work,” is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will be used, in part, to fund programs that seek to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease obesity in communities and schools across America.

"We applaud the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Sebelius for their strong leadership and commitment to tackling one of America’s greatest challenges – childhood obesity. We believe that the best way to reverse this epidemic is to provide schools with the necessary resources to integrate nutrition education into the physical education class. With this significant investment from HHS, we are confident that communities will adopt this proven approach, and create truly healthy environments for kids and adults alike."

Innovation. Collaboration. Results. The mission of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) is to advance real solutions to address the obesity epidemic. The complex task of tackling obesity requires the cooperation, expertise and leadership from every corner of society. We are guided by an Advisory Board of experts in the fields of medicine, nutrition, physical activity and behavior change. We are committed to collaborating with health professionals, educators, policy makers and others on lasting approaches to reducing and preventing obesity.

American Council for Fitness and Nutrition Working with USDA

Partnering With MyPyramid Helps Educate Americans on Healthy Living and Eating

Washington, DC. - June 10, 2008 - The American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) has answered the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) call to join the Partnering with MyPyramid: Corporate Challenge. This collaboration showcases the role industry and government share in encouraging healthier eating and physical fitness in the American family.

"The Partnering with MyPyramid challenge complements ACFN's commitment to finding long-term solutions to the problem of obesity in America," notes ACFN CEO and President Susan Finn, PhD, RD, LD, FADA. "Our members and sponsors are fully engaged in helping families create and sustain healthier lifestyles and welcome the opportunity to work with USDA."

ACFN's Healthy Schools Partnership, which was successfully piloted in urban Kansas City primary schools in 2007 and early 2008, integrates nutrition education into the PE4Life physical education program. "The goal of this multifaceted approach is to reinforce the critical link between nutrition and physical education as expressed in MyPyramid. We are helping children grasp the fact that how much they eat and how active they are must be in balance for optimal health," Finn explains. "Children then take this knowledge home with them to influence family food choices." The Healthy Schools Partnership will expand to more schools in fall of 2008.

"The increasing problems of obesity and poor eating habits among America's children are undoubtedly complicated issues, but what is often overlooked is the one place where a deliberate, positive trend toward change could take place tonight - the family home," notes Dr. Brian Wansink, executive director for USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. "By connecting with families to help them make better food choices and encourage more physical activity, we can make an immediate change with lasting impact."

ACFN, PE4life, ADAF Launch Healthy Schools Partnership Pilot

Washington, D.C. — The Healthy Schools Partnership between the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN), PE4life and the American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADAF) today announced the launch of its pilot program in four Kansas City-area schools. The schools participating in the pilot include Blue Valley West High School of the Blue Valley School District and the following schools from the Kansas City, Missouri School District: Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Pitcher Academy and Woodland Elementary School. More than 1,000 students in fifth through ninth grades will take part in this 12-week pilot during the Fall 2007.

The pilot’s innovative approach to addressing the childhood obesity epidemic is based on the already existing success of PE4life’s proven model of getting kids active now and instilling the lifetime benefit of health and wellness. Through the existing PE4life model, kids are inspired to become active and aware of healthy living through the model’s novel physical education programs that involve all children and offer a variety of fun sports and fitness activities versus traditional physical education programs that were once geared strictly towards athletics.

"We have seen a great amount of success so far with our PE4life program in Kansas City, and we are eager to build on our foundation there by adding nutrition education to four pilot schools,” said Anne Flannery, PE4life CEO. “Offering our students a nutrition component will help them understand the importance of balancing activity with a healthy diet. This is an important lesson … and we are excited to help communicate this message through the Healthy Schools Partnership."

ACFN was instrumental in bringing the organizations together for this pilot, which provides a comprehensive program incorporating the United States Department of Agriculture MyPyramid and focuses on teaching the concept of balancing food intake with energy expenditure. The content of the pilot’s nutrition curriculum is focused on teaching the importance of calories and energy balance, and its delivery fits seamlessly into PE4life’s proven model, without taking away from activity time. During the pilot, energy balance is not taught as an abstract concept; instead, this concept is embraced in PE4life classes and throughout the school environment.

"The Healthy Schools Partnership provides an opportunity to make a substantial reduction in childhood obesity rates by developing a replicable approach to providing comprehensive, measurable and sustainable healthy lifestyle education initiatives in the nation’s schools,” said Dr. Susan Finn, ACFN CEO. “ACFN, PE4life and the ADAF believe that the future educational model should embrace the concept of energy balance and teach the two subjects — food intake and energy expenditure — together."

To deliver the program’s educational components, seven nutrition coaches — registered dietitians — are working side-by-side with the schools’ physical education teachers. Staffing nutrition coaches in schools is unique to the program, and is designed to model many of the premier fitness centers in the nation.

"The American Dietetic Association Foundation is thrilled to help incorporate the nutrition education part of the equation into these schools,” said Mary Beth Whalen, executive director of the ADAF. “We have long supported the idea of teaching children the importance of healthy lifestyles through the ADAF’s Healthy Weight for Kids program, and we are excited that seven ADA members will be participating in the Healthy Schools Partnership pilot. Registered dietitians are a valuable resource and their roles in the pilot will be critical to the overall success of the program."

In addition to drawing resources from successful program models, the Partnership developed several unique components to reinforce the pilot’s lessons, including “The Filling Station” interactive kiosk, posters and information cards. “The Filling Station” kiosk, developed through collaboration with software developer Immersion Media, is an interactive application integrated into physical education classes to deliver program information to students through a question and answer format that is aligned with weekly nutrition topics.

The Partnership commissioned syndicated cartoonist Jerry Craft, creator of the Mama’s Boyz series, to develop illustrations for "The Filling Station," as well as the other informative materials that support the program’s lessons.

Susan Finn named to President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Columbus, OH—President George W. Bush has named Susan Finn, PhD, RD, to a two-year term on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Finn is president and CEO of the Washington, DC-based American Council for Fitness & Nutrition (ACFN).

The President’s Council is a 20-member committee of citizen volunteers that promotes health, physical activity and fitness for all Americans through programs and partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Finn’s fellow council members include professional sports and Olympic notables such as Eli Manning, Jason Seahorn, Les Miles, “Digger” Phelps, Ruth Ellen Riley, Michelle Kwan, and Allyson Felix.

Finn earned a PhD in nutrition science from The Ohio State University, an MS in public health nutrition from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, and BS in nutrition from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University. In addition to her role with ACFN, Finn is a nutrition advisor to Fleishman-Hillard International Communications and chair of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) Foundation. She is also a past president of the 68,000+-member ADA.

“I am honored to bring a nutrition science perspective to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports,” Finn says. “Fitness depends on both physical activity and healthy eating. I believe both can be fun and rewarding for all Americans. I am deeply grateful for giving me this opportunity to showcase the importance of nutrition to overall well-being.”

See www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2009/01/20090106-13.html for a complete list of appointees.