These topics air Friday April 4, 2014 at noon and 8pm on 90.5 WESA with guest host, Kevin Gavin. To leave a question or comment before or after the show dial 412-256-8783. More Essential Pittsburgh segments can be heard here.
Healthy Allegheny
Nearly 1 in 3 school age children in the Pittsburgh region is overweight or obese. Last January Allegheny County launched the Live Well project to improve the health of county residents, particularly students, through health and fitness. It’s one of the leading health initiatives undertaken by our guest Dr. Karen Hacker, Allegheny County’s Health Department Director.
A New Approach to Gym Class
Physical education has evolved from an emphasis on team sports to individual activities. However, these activities are centered on lifelong fitness. We ventured out to the North Allegheny School District to speak with Dave Schmidt, department chair for Health and Physical Education and some students about this new approach to gym class.
Fitness, Nutrition and Students
The major components of living a healthy life is learning about and eating healthy food and the importance of physical fitness. With 54 schools in the Pittsburgh Public School System and nearly 26 thousand students, getting them fed requires planning and adherence to government guidelines for nutrition. Joining us to address this aspect of student life is Curtistine Walker the director of food service for Pittsburgh Public Schools. Also taking part in the conversation to address the importance of fitness is Erika Lavelle a gym teacher at Pittsburgh Colfax K-8.