Local pediatrician Dr. Chris
Canzoniero gave an overview of child obesity trends and offered tips on
creating healthy nutritional habits for the entire family at a recent meeting
of the Project Sussex Kids General Council.
Parents, caregivers, and social service professionals were on hand to discuss
health and nutrition issues impacting local families. Project Sussex Kids is the Sussex County Council
for Young Children, a program funded by the New Jersey Department of Children
& Families to address the needs of local families who are expecting or who
are currently parenting children. General
Council meetings are held quarterly and are free and open to the public.
“Unfortunately, childhood obesity
is becoming a very important topic and is one of the most pressing issues
affecting children today,” commented Canzoniero. “To me, it’s a simple problem but it is one
that is very difficult to fix. Having discussions
like these with parents really empowers them to make changes. Today’s presentation creates an opportunity
to start that conversation.” In addition
to his pediatric practice, Canzoniero is a fellow and District Counselor of the
New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also serves on the Advisory Board of
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and on the Advisory Board of
Morristown Medical Center.
County Councils for Young Children
have been established in all of the state’s 21 counties to bring together
parents, caregivers, as well as health, education and social service
professionals to enhance communication, coordination and collaboration of
services. The meetings of the General
Council are designed to gather information from area residents about their
concerns. In addition to the presentation
by Canzoniero, participants were updated on the progress of several projects in
development on behalf of Project Sussex Kids throughout the county.
Project Self-Sufficiency, the
agency which spearheads the Project Sussex Kids effort, is seeking parents and
caregivers to volunteer to join the General Council as well as participate in workgroups
to identify community needs. Groups meet
locally to seek input about health and wellness, safety, community events and
other topics. The groups are divided
according to the age or needs of the children in the family, including prenatal,
special needs, families of infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children,
families of school-aged children, and Spanish-speaking families. To facilitate participation, meetings are
held regionally in Newton, Sussex, Vernon, Hopatcong, Ogdensburg and Montague.
Project Self-Sufficiency is a
private non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the
lives of low-income families residing in northwestern New Jersey. The agency’s
mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and
comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents,
two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to improve their lives and the
lives of their children through the achievement of personal and economic
self-sufficiency and family stability. Since 1986 Project
Self-Sufficiency has served more than 20,500 families, including over 30,000
children.
To volunteer to participate in
one of the Project Sussex Kids workgroups, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500
or 844-807-3500. Additional information
is available at www.projectsussexkids.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment