Texas Border Business
PHARR – Hundreds of students in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) ISD have been learning about the importance of eating healthy and maintaining active lifestyles thanks to a three-year grant in collaboration with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).
Awarded to UTRGV, the South Texas Early Prevention Study (STEPS-PreK) Project grant aims to control and prevent obesity rates in South Texas pre-school children at two public school districts in the area, including PSJA ISD. The goal of this project is to investigate the efficacy of the Bienestar Coordinated School Health Program (BCSHP) in reducing childhood obesity prevalence, starting with pre-school children, and following the cohorts of students over a two-year period into kindergarten.
Parents of PSJA ISD Pre-K students at select schools had the opportunity to opt-in to be part of ongoing research addressing food insecurity and obesity by educating pre-school children on the importance of eating healthy and adopting healthier lifestyles.
“We are excited to highlight these important efforts, especially during National School Nutrition Month,” said PSJA Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo. “Our district is committed to keeping health and safety at the forefront. Promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles is key to help our students achieve the highest levels of success.”
According to the PSJA Child Nutrition Department Director Imelda Palacios, participating schools include Clover Elementary, Garza-Peña Elementary, Santos Livas Elementary and Sorensen Elementary. Parents who opted to participate in the program received MyPlates as an incentive provided by funding from the grant. These items were distributed by parent educators in the PSJA Family and Community Engagement Program.
“The ultimate goal is to address hunger and educate our students at an early age about eating healthy. The MyPlate helps them learn healthy eating practices such as the importance of including fruits and vegetables in their meals,” Palacios said.
While the UTRGV South Texas Early Prevention Study (STEPS-PreK) will soon be wrapping up in June 2021, UTRGV researchers look forward to analyzing the results, data and continuing efforts to impact more students in the region.
“These programs are helping our children be healthier. We want to disseminate this to the masses,” said Dr. Zasha Romero, UTRGV Associate Professor for the Department of Health & Human Performance. “PSJA ISD is great about promoting the importance of a healthy community. We want everyone else to think like PSJA.”
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