On the path to fitness: CCSD and SNHD encourage safe walking and bicycling

The statistics are disturbing.

Only four of 10 youths in Clark County are meeting physical activity guidelines – and about one of seven youths are totally sedentary, not engaging in any physical activity during a week-long period.

One of the ways the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is aiming to get youths more physically active is through partnering with the Clark County School District (CCSD).

The SNHD is a longtime partner of CCSD’s Safe Routes to Schools program, which works to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to safely walk and bicycle to school.

Nicole Bungum, supervisor of SNHD’s Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, says CCSD and SNHD might have different organizational missions, but they both want kids to grow up healthy and safe.

“It’s important to reach youth early with the message of why being physically active is important to a healthy lifestyle and to provide them with opportunities to be physically active in our community, including at school,” Bungum says.

“The research indicates that if we can help youth develop healthy behaviors such as daily physical activity while they are still in school, they are more likely to continue those behaviors into adulthood.”

Also, in terms of sheer numbers, Bungum says collaborating with the school district offers an opportunity to significantly scale up SNHD’s outreach.

Traci Traasdahl, coordinator of CCSD’s Safe Routes to Schools, praises the partnership. Traasdahl says the SNHD provides invaluable expertise and financial support to improve the health and well-being of students, including for Safe Routes to School’s Walk and Roll program.

“In addition to the obvious health benefits, walking and bicycling encourage a sense of pride and self-reliance,” Traasdahl says. Furthermore, she says, studies have shown that students who walk to school have better focus and cognitive functions, factors important to academic achievement.

Not only is it important to educate parents about these benefits, but it also is essential that parents, students and educators are informed about ways to promote walking and cycling – and, just as important, how to do so safely.

The partnership between SNHD and CCSD was formalized in 2009, when SNHD provided funding to CCSD to support expansion of the Safe Routes to School program, enabling an additional 50 schools to be part of the program.

Last year, SNHD sponsored nine schools for the Walk and Roll program in the CCSD Safe Routes to Schools program. Participating schools agree to sponsor a 10-week “to and from school” walking and/or bicycling encouragement program.

The weekly program also consists of educational messages on the importance of physical activity and modifications, where necessary, to the school’s environment to support physical activity and active transportation.

Students who participate in the “to and from” walking/biking activity are provided with educational incentives, including stickers and/or pencils with a safe walking/biking to school message. Awards are given to students who qualify at the end of the program.

These incentives promote attendance, which is part of CCSD’s strategic plan, Focus: 2024, which includes an objective of decreasing chronic absenteeism and chronic absenteeism gaps.

Last year, in partnership with Safe Routes to School, SNHD conducted an evaluation on the impact of the Walk and Roll program. The evaluation found that walking and biking rates increased 18 percent in the schools that participated. Even more important, Bungum says, is the rates stayed high after the program ended, an indication of a mindset change.

SNHD also has sponsored CCSD’s participation in Nevada Moves Day, a statewide event that highlights the benefits of walking and bicycling to school. Last school year, 52 schools participated in Nevada Moves Day, holding walking parades, bike trains, and step challenges among other activities.

Along with the Walk and Roll program and Nevada Moves Day, SNHD provides financial assistance for Safe Routes to School workshops where CCSD schools’ staff learn how to encourage children and their families about the benefits of biking and walking to schools. During these workshops, the employees also get insight from planners and engineers from advocacy groups, local government agencies and law enforcement, assisting them as their schools develop their own Safe Routes to School action plan.

“By supporting schools and students, we can make walking and biking to school safe and fun along the way, building lifelong physical activity,” Bungum says.

If you would like to partner with CCSD, contact the School-Community Partnership Program at 702-799-6560.