Physical Activity and Nutrition

• Program Overview

Key Initiatives

• Activity-Friendly Routes
• Breastfeeding
• Community Nutrition
• Early Care and Education
• Healthy Food Initiative
• Play Every Day
• Sugary Drinks
• Schools

Partnerships

• Alliance for Healthy Kids
• Healthy Futures

Publications & Materials >

• Burden of Obesity
• Evaluations
• Fact Sheets
• Student Weight Status
• Play Every Day Materials
  • Physical Activity
  • Sugary Drinks

School Health Program

Program Contacts

3601 C Street, Suite 722
Anchorage AK 99503
Fax: 907-269-5446
pan@alaska.gov

• Katie Reilly, MPH
  Unit Manager
  907-269-3457
• Ann Potempa, MPH
  Play Every Day Coordinator
  907-744-0474
  
• Diane Peck, MPH RDN
  Public Health Nutritionist
  907-269-8447
• Lauren Kelsey, MPH
  Public Health Specialist
  907-269-8165
• Jessie Doherty, MPH
  Public Health Specialist
  907-334-5966

Publications & Materials

Publication Highlights

Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Facts Report
(2020)

Early Childhood Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Facts (2019)

4 Healthy Habits known to Prevent Chronic Disease (2017)

When Sugar is Not So Sweet (2017)

Burden of physical inactivity, poor nutrition, obesity

• Alaska Physical Activity, Nutrition & Obesity Facts Report - 2020 Update (2020)
• Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Health (2020)
• Lack of in-home piped water and reported consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults in rural Alaska (2019)
• Early Childhood Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Facts (2019)
• Alaska Obesity Facts (2017)
• All Student Weight Status Reports
• Estimating the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Alaska Using Partial, Nonrandom Measurement Data (2016)

Data Sources

• Sources for Alaska Obesity-Related Surveillance Data (2019)

School District Weight Status Reports

• All Weight Status Reports (web page)
• Estimating the Prevalence of Childhood Obesity in Alaska Using Partial, Nonrandom Measurement Data (2016)
• School Wellness Policy support materials (web page)

Program Evaluation

• A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a School Wellness Initiative: An Examination of Longer Lunch Periods and More Physical Activity Opportunities (Anchorage, 2021)
• Anchorage School District Wellness Principal Interviews (2020)
• Results from Play Every Day Surveys from 2014-2017 (2018)
• Let’s Move! Child Care Quiz: Results of a Survey of Alaska’s Early Care and Education Providers (2017)
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evaluations
  • Anchorage Signs of Progress
  • Anchorage: Signs of Progress in Childhood Obesity Declines Report (2015)

Physical Activity and Nutrition Facts Sheets

• Weight Status in Alaska (2018)
• Obesity Facts: Overweight/Obesity & Cancer Risk (2018)
• Play Every Day Facts: Sugary Drinks Education Campaign (2018)
  
• 4 Healthy Habits known to Prevent Chronic Disease (2017)
  
• School Policies & Practices Impacting Childhood Obesity (2017)
• The Health Impact Pyramid: Helping children grow up at a healthy weight (2017)
• Snacks in Alaska Schools (2017)

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Parent and Patient Education about Physical Activity and Nutrition

Wellness Tips for Alaska's Young Children Parent Handouts (2019)

• Healthy Drinks (2019)
• Limit Screen Time (2019)
• Play Every Day! (2019)
• Stress-Free Meals (2019)

National Links: Alaska Specific Facts and Recommendations

• CDC Breastfeeding Report Card (2020)
• CDC State Licensing Scorecard: Obesity Prevention in Center-based Child Care- Alaska (2020)

• Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care in Alaska (mPINC)
  • 2018 Alaska mPINC Results
  • 2015 Alaska mPINC Results
• SHAPE America Health + PE Fact Sheet: Alaska (2016)
• Shape of the Nation State Profile: Alaska (2016)
  

Alaska Guides & Plans

• Healthy Alaskans 2030: Leading Health Priorities (2020)
• Breastfeeding Welcomed Here for Child Care Toolkit (2020) and Alaska Breastfeeding Welcomed Here for Child Care Commitment Form (2020)
• When Sugar Is Not So Sweet – A Brief Guide to Explain How Sugary Drinks Can Harm Your Health (2017)
• Wellness Guidelines for Alaska’s Young Children: A Toolkit for Child Care Providers and Families (2017)
• Growth Screening and Referral: Guidelines for School Nursing Services (2016)
• Adverse Childhood Experiences: Overcoming ACEs in Alaska (2015)

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National Links

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Division of Nutrition & Physical Activity
• Guide to Community Preventive Services
• Healthy People 2030: Overweight and Obesity
• Physical Activity Recommendations: Children, Adults and Older Adults

National Resources

• Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2018)
  
• National Physical Activity Plan (2016)
  
• Shape of the Nation Report (2016)
• Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2015-2020)
  
• CDC State Indicator Reports on Fruits and Vegetables (2018)
• The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation (2010)

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Webpage updated January 2022