CATCH for Rural Schools
The percentage of overweight children in the United States has almost quadrupled since the 1970s. Statistics show that approximately 15% of American children are overweight and are at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes Research is also showing that rural children may, in fact, be at higher risk of being obese than urban children. Because of the obesity epidemic and its associated health risks, Texas state law now requires elementary schools to implement by 2007 a coordinated school health program approved by the Texas Education Agency.
With the assistance of its West Texas AHEC program, TTUHSC has helped 64 rural school districts (including 96 elementary schools serving more than 26,000 students) to incorporate the Coordinated Approach to Children's Health (CATCH) curriculum. The CATCH curriculum is designed to prevent sedentary behavior, poor dietary choices, and tobacco usage by educating kids, families and school personnel about good choices at the elementary school level.
As part of the CATCH program, the West Texas AHEC also assists school districts with collecting information to calculate students' body mass index so that schools can track their own progress in making improvements in their children's health.