Volume 18, Number 1, Fall 2007

MSUE ‘Jumps’ into Health Education

Erica Goff
Reprinted with permission from August 2, 2007 Gratiot County Herald

How many fruits and vegetables can you name that are blue or purple? What fruits and vegetables can you add to a lunch of a turkey sandwich with cheese? What activity can you do during the day that involves swirling and a knee, or dashing and an ankle?

Taken out of context, these questions could seem a little off the wall, but when presented as part of the Jump Into Food and Fitness educational curriculum developed by Michigan State University Extension, they make perfect sense.

“We wanted to jump right into the idea of helping youth make healthier choices, and be involved in making those decisions,” said Gratiot County MSU 4-H Youth Extension Educator Katie Eisenberger, who said the program, referred to as JIFF, is “absolutely awesome” at achieving that goal.

Developed by MSUE and utilized in youth programs such as 4-H and after school education across the state, JIFF helps combine the promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity with other important life skills like teamwork, education and decision making. Eisenberger has been using the curriculum with 4-H groups in the county as well as Family & Consumer Science Educator programs, and said it fits perfectly into the goals of the 4-H program.

“It is really well-rounded in terms of education, health and life skill focus, and it combines them in a fun way that kids can adapt to,” she said.

The JIFF curriculum invites youth to help Jiff the Joey Kangaroo—who “jumps” into each lesson with the participants—to learn about eating healthy, being active, and having fun while improving their lifestyles. The curriculum provided by MSUE includes all the basic background information needed for instructors, as well as family newsletters, activity ideas and other supplemental materials, such as bookmarks that list fruits and vegetables that are blue and purple. The list—blackberries, blueberries, black currents, dried plums, elderberries, purple figs, purple grapes, plums, raisins, purple asparagus, purple cabbage, purple carrots, eggplant, purple Belgian endive, purple peppers, potatoes and black salsify—could be given to students after they brainstorm to create their own list during the 5-A-Day Food Rainbow activity that challenges participants to list healthy foods of various colors.

Eisenberger said youth in the area have really enjoyed the curriculum, and she believes there are many benefits to it. No only does it help youth become more aware of nutrition, it can also help them “get into the habit” of remaining active, something that is becoming increasingly important.

“You see statistics all the time about obesity in youth and other problems, and it seems like our kids are getting more comfortable with inactivity,” she said. “This curriculum helps them think of doing something active outside before sitting in front of the TV.”

Eisenberger added one of the goals of the program is to get youth to a point where they will make the decision on their own to go for a walk outside or play basketball or engage in some other activity before doing something inactive like watching TV.

“It is designed to get you thinking about making a positive choice, and it gets kids involved in that decision making process,” she said, adding such concepts, when added to other life skills included in the program, can also create a positive body image and boost self-confidence.

While the curriculum is geared toward third to fifth graders, Eisenberger said it can be adapted to other age groups as well. It also utilizes the “Do, Reflect, Apply” motto used in
4-H.

“The kids get to do what they learned (in the lesson), reflect on the activity or lesson, and then apply it to their lives,” she said, noting the benefit of the active approach kids can take in such hands-on learning environments.

Eisenberger hopes to help Jiff the Joe Kangaroo jump into other area youth programs in the county, such as day cares, after school programs and youth groups. She said sharing resources is important for organizations, especially given the budget crunches many are facing, and she believes strongly in the benefits of the program.

Eisenberger also believes those benefits can extend beyond the child and into the rest of the family.

“If parents are involved in the program too and on the same page, it can become a total lifestyle change for the whole family,” she said. “If the parents are on board it can be a family activity.”

While making major lifestyle changes can be taxing for many people, and instructors like Eisenberger understand they have a long way to go before much of the public is ready to think about things like taking an “activity snack break” to get some exercise in the afternoon, steps like JIFF can help start a trend.

“Maybe if we start now, ten years down the road it will be common for people to get up and do some physical activity while in the office or at work during the day,” she said. “The mentality is not there just yet but it could be, if we start with our third graders now.”