Thanks to Saint Alphonsus and the High Five Children's Health Collaborative Powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, local students are more active at school with GoNoodle, an online suite of interactive physical activity breaks.
Boise, Idaho (PRWEB) October 22, 2015
As of 2013, nearly one-third of elementary school students were classified as overweight or obese in Idaho. Thanks to Saint Alphonsus and the High Five Children's Health Collaborative Powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, local students are more active at school with GoNoodle, an online suite of interactive physical activity breaks. GoNoodle helps teachers engage and motivate students with 3-5 minute moderate to vigorous exercises they can perform next to their desks, and elementary school students throughout the Treasure Valley are celebrating a milestone of 10 million minutes of physical activity performed in the 2014-15 school year.
Research supports that short bursts of movement throughout the day can improve student overall health, behavior, focus and cognition while working to reduce childhood obesity. A recent independent study found that students who played GoNoodle’s Mega Math Marathon over the course of the 2014-15 school year showed a 50% greater improvement in math scores over students who did not play it.
GoNoodle is currently available to more than 2,900 teachers and 90,000 students in 233 schools across Idaho. In the Boise area alone, more than 360 teachers currently use GoNoodle in their classrooms, generating more than 2.5 million minutes of student physical activity since the last school year.
“We are delighted to partner with High Five to bring GoNoodle to schools in our region. The results prove we are moving the needle in our fight against childhood obesity locally," said Aimee M. Stein, Business Development Specialist at Saint Alphonsus.
“GoNoodle is a great program to get children active in the classroom. High Five, powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation is proud to be a partner and help get this amazing resource into classrooms” said Kendra Witt-Doyle, Manager Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation.
Childhood obesity continues to be a leading health issue affecting children across the country. According to the CDC, only one-quarter of youth meet the current recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. GoNoodle is helping Southern Idaho students earn those important minutes through entertaining experiences that feature high-energy dance music, fitness routines, virtual field trips and physical challenges.
"Regular physical activity is critically important to the healthy development of kids. And, we know healthy kids do better in school,” said Scott McQuigg, CEO and co-founder of GoNoodle. “Together with Saint Alphonsus and Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, we have kids moving during school like never before.”
In celebration of Southern Idaho student achievement of 10 million physical activity minutes documented, GoNoodle, Saint Alphonsus, and Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health will be visiting the students at Horizon Elementary, a school with one of the highest participation rates in the Southern Idaho region. Joining them will be GoNoodle Champ, Zapp Von Doubler (mascot) who will pay a special visit to Christina Fitzner’s 3rd grade class, leading students in a series of their favorite GoNoodle activities. Christina Fitzner and her students have excelled in promoting some of the highest GoNoodle engagement across the entire Southern Idaho area.
Southern Idaho area teachers currently have access to over 120 online physical activity breaks. To use GoNoodle, teachers need to have a computer with an Internet connection and a shared screen such as a projector or interactive white board. Southern Idaho area teachers can access GoNoodle for free by signing up at http://www.gonoodle.com.
About GoNoodle
GoNoodle is an online resource for elementary teachers to improve student engagement and youth health through physical activity breaks. Helping to increase energy and focus while improving classroom behavior, GoNoodle's activities can be played on an interactive whiteboard, projector or computer screen. Since its launch in August 2013, over 6.7 million kids have played GoNoodle physical activity breaks. Teachers can sign up for free at gonoodle.com.
About High Five Children's Health Collaborative:
The High Five Children’s Health Collaborative, powered by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health is a state-wide effort to fight childhood obesity by promoting healthy kids through increased physical activity and access to nutritious foods. Learn more at the High Five Idaho website highfiveidaho.org.
About Saint Alphonsus Health System:
As a faith-based Catholic ministry and not-for-profit health system, Saint Alphonsus Health System reinvests in the communities we serve, through charity care and other benefits. Our goal is to improve the health and well-being of individuals by emphasizing care that is patient-centered, physician-led, innovative and community-based. Saint Alphonsus Health System serves the people of southwestern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada through the following facilities: Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Nampa, ID; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Ontario, OR; Saint Alphonsus Medical Center – Baker City, OR; and Saint Alphonsus Medical Group with primary and specialty care providers at over 60 clinic locations, all of which are members of the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance, a network of over 1500 employed and independent providers focused on making care easy to access, improving health outcomes and reducing the costs of healthcare. To find out more go to: http://www.saintalphonsus.org.
For further information, please contact:
For Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health
Kendra Witt-Doyle, PhD, MPH
Kendra.Witt-Doyle(at)bcidaho.com | +1 208 286 3461
For GoNoodle
Suki Mulberg Altamirano, Lexington Public Relations
suki(at)lexingtonpr.com | +1 615 649 4000
For Saint Alphonsus
Joshua Schlaich, Media Coordinator
joshua.schlaich(at)sarmc.org | +1 208-779-0560