Teaching Healthy Lifestyles to Kansas Kids

On May 1, 2004, 70 middle school age children spent the day in Charles Koch Arena with Wichita State University athletes and coaches, area law enforcement officers, nutrition, Internet and personal safety experts to learn about staying healthy and safe at the First Annual Shocks, Cops and Kids Clinic. The goal of the program is to provide specific tools to Kansas Kids to positively respond to unhealthy issues of childhood obesity and Internet predators. In addition, the children will have an opportunity to interact with law enforcement in a positive environment and establish lines of communication.

The day was full of mini-workshops in basketball, track, volleyball, personal and Internet safety, health and nutrition and Internet piracy. The children were divided into groups of 8-12 kids and were led by two or three law enforcement officers that took them from station to station for the mini-workshops. At lunch, WSU Men’s Head Basketball Coach Mark Turgeon and Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline both made short speeches to the children. The message from Coach Turgeon was “you’ve got to have dreams. Don’t let anything get in your way.” Attorney General Kline told the kids to be careful when they are surfing the Internet. He asked them to always tell their parent whom they are chatting with and to report anything inappropriate that is said.

Shocks, Cops and Kids is a cooperative effort of Wichita State University, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Wichita Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Via Christi and Entertainment Software Association. This is the first workshop of its kind. Plans are underway for a second workshop at the University of Kansas.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

According to the US Surgeon General:

• In 1999 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States were overweight. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past two decades.

• Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults, increasing risk factors for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and Type 2 Diabetes.

• Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child’s weight.

• 43% of adolescents watch more that two hours of television each day.

• Regular exercise and eating healthy are the two vital components in battling overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.

According to the Crimes Against Children Research Center on Online Victimization:

• Approximately one in five youth received a sexual solicitation or approach over the Internet in the last year.

• One in 33 youth received an aggressive sexual solicitation.

• One in four youth had an unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex in the past year.

• About one quarter of the youth who encountered a sexual solicitation or approach told a parent. Almost 40% of those reporting an unwanted exposure to sexual material told a parent.

• Only 17% of youth and approximately 10% of parents could name a specific authority (such as the FBI, CyberTipLine, or an Internet service provider) to which they could make a report, although more said they had “heard of” such places.

• Less than 10% of sexual solicitations and only 3% of unwanted exposure episodes ere reported to authorities such as a law enforcement agency, an Internet service provider, or a hotline.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Detective Tom Prunier
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
Exploited and Missing Child Unit
130 S. Market
Wichita, KS 67201
316-337-6552

Detective Jennifer Wright
Wichita Police Department
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
Exploited and Missing Child Unit
130 S. Market
Wichita, KS 67201
316-337-6552

Rebecca Endicott
Senior Associate Athletic Director
Wichita State University
1845 N. Fairmount
Wichita, KS 67208
316-978-3250

Randall Wells
Cops For Kids Director
Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters
219 N. St. Francis
Wichita, KS 67202
316-290-8844

Laura Keefer
Clinical Dietitian
Via Christi – St. Joseph
3600 E. Harry
Wichita, KS 67218
316-689-5182

Zachary Toczynski
Anti-Piracy Trainer
Entertainment Software Association
1211 Connecticut Ave., NW
Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-223-2400