Thursday, February 7, 2002 TODAY

School of Medicine news

• School of Medicine holds health-care symposium on M. L. King Jr. Day
• Microbiology PhD student wins awards for paper presented at PDAAAS annual meetings
• Growing Fit Kids class teaches healthful lifestyle concepts to young people

School of Medicine holds health-care symposium on M. L. King Jr. Day

Students and faculty gathered in the Loma Linda University Church chapel on Wednesday, January 16, for the first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Health Care Symposium held by the LLU School of Medicine.

Daisy D. De Leon, PhD, assistant to the dean for diversity, set the stage for the program welcoming those attending and emphasizing the appropriateness of the event. A quote from Dr. King at the bottom of each program bulletin validated the relevance to an institute of medical learning: "Of all the forms of injustice, inequality in health care is the most shocking and inhuman."

Two musical selections from Testimony, Loma Linda University's gospel choir, as introduced by W. Augustus Cheatham, MSW, vice-president for public affairs and marketing, lent an air of praise and solemnity to the proceedings. Brian Bull, MD, dean, School of Medicine, introduced guest speaker Richard A. Williams, MD, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Williams addressed the issue of health care among minorities in his presentation, "Human

Testimony presents a musical selection at the first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Health Care Symposium.

Medicine: The Need for Health Care Equality in Minority Communities." Dr. Williams is a pioneer in the realm of ethnic specific diseases, and his Textbook of Black-Related Diseases, published in 1975, remains an authority. The presentation delivered a powerful history of blacks in medicine, "an elite pantheon of medical heroes," Dr. Williams said, and one often left in the dark. The cardiology professor used the slights of the past to challenge the health-care professionals of today to be culturally competent with their patients.

Closing with the intent of empowering listeners to mold the future, Dr. Williams finished with a message of hope and a vision to discourage disparities in health care.

Dr. De Leon and Dr. Bull presented a plaque to Dr. Williams in recognition of all he has done to promote equal health care across the nation.

|Top|

Microbiology PhD student wins awards for paper presented at PDAAAS annual meetings

Victoria Valinluck, who is working on her PhD degree in microbiology, won two awards for her presentation at the PDAAAS annual meetings.

During the annual meetings of the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (PDAAAS), held this year in June, 2001, on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, students are invited to submit their research papers, which are judged by the PDAAAS Awards Committee.

During this year's annual PDAAAS meetings, 57 students presented papers. Winners received certificates and cash awards for "their outstanding contributions."

Microbiology PhD student Victoria Valinluck received two awards for presenting her paper: the PDAAAS–Geraldine K. Lindsay Award for Excellence in the Natural Sciences, and the first place award in the "Biological Sciences" category.

|Top|

Growing Fit Kids class teaches healthful lifestyle concepts to young people

Growing Fit Kids class members do stretching exercises with their teacher, Ron Cronk, Drayson Center intramural manager, who likens their muscles before warm-up to a "rubberband taken out of a refrigerator."

Kevin Collins finishes his second lap around the track in Drayson Center's superfield, which equals a mile.

What's so unusual about that? Kevin was previously one of thousands of young people across the United States who have adopted a sedentary lifestyle—the same one adopted by more than one quarter of the adult population in the United States—which is part of an equation that can lead to obesity.

Considering the numbers and the threat to health that obesity brings with it, this is a major epidemic. Hours of videogames, computer games, or television, together with plenty of snack foods, bring inevitable consequences for many young people.

Larry Yin, MD, instructor of pediatrics at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, has devised a program to combat this alarming trend.

Kevin Collins, age 13, begins his second lap around the superfield at Drayson Center. He and his brother, Kyle, age 16, used a trip to Europe to each amass credit for more than 60 miles of powerwalking.

His program, "Growing Fit Kids," is being implemented at Loma Linda University Drayson Center.

Coordinated by Ronald Cronk, intramural manager at Drayson, the class involves more than a dozen young people who are learning ways to change their sedentary lifestyles.

"These kids typically are the ones who resist taking part in physical education," says Mr. Cronk, a former physical education (PE) teacher himself who knows the profile well. "Growing Fit Kids has provided the motivation these young people need to become more active."

By changing their lifestyles, these young people are losing pounds, gaining self-confidence, and becoming healthy.

"I've had some of their PE teachers call me up and tell me they can't believe the change," Mr. Cronk continues. "These young people are becoming involved in the exercise and sports activities at their schools, rather than sitting around and watching from the sidelines."

The program guidelines are quite simple: get the young people involved in being active—in moving—however, whenever, and wherever possible.

During weekly classes, the young people do stretching exercises, followed by various games and activities.

Since October 30, 2001, they have been on a "Trek to the Magic Kingdom." By logging 60 miles of "powerwalking" or jogging by February 22, 2002, each class participant will receive a free pass to Disneyland, complements of the Growing Fit Kids program.

Each young person will also receive a map of the park, guiding them to special prizes at various locations, as well as a Growing Fit Kids T-shirt.

"I work with each individual to determine his or her rate of powerwalking," explains Mr. Cronk. "With a consistent rate in mind, it's just a matter of keeping track of the time to calculate the distance."

At the beginning of the class, each child receives a packet of "M+M" assignments, which stands for using "Mind and Muscle." By completing the assignments, the young people earn points.

One assignment—the "No-shopping Mall"—requires them to speedwalk for 15 minutes around a shopping mall, walking fast enough so the shops going by are a blur. "That way, they aren't tempted to window-shop," Mr. Cronk points out.

Other "M+M" assignments include stairclimbing, scoring six touchdowns on a football field by going from goal to goal, working out with an exercise video, or doing a variety of interesting exercises with such names as Push-up Pete, Jumpin' Jake, Sprinter Sally, Berry-picking Peggy, or Curl-up Clide.

Progress is verified by a teacher, parent, or guardian, who signs a special certificate. Appropriate points are awarded for each activity.

If a parent or guardian accompanies the child in the exercise activity, he or she earns an extra half mile for each mile clocked.

"Parental participation is key to success of the program," Mr. Cronk asserts. "The more involved a parent or guardian is, the more likely the child will experience long-term success."

Kevin Collins, age 13, and his brother, Kyle, age 16, are often joined in their activities by their father, Kurt Collins. Both boys have reached their 60-mile goal already, which included a three-week European trip where the family walked everywhere and the boys received credit.

"We use whatever motivators we can to get these kids active," Mr. Cronk adds. "We even have them ‘commercialize'—exercise during television commercials."

The class also listens to monthly presentations by a nutritionist and a counselor.

At the end of each class, the young people gather around a chart which tracks their progress toward the Disneyland trip.

Points they earn for their exercise may also be used for certain items at the Drayson Center Proshop.

"We're after a change in habits and behavior," Mr. Cronk points out. "Any adult will tell you that's not an easy goal to accomplish."

The results, however, are reward in themselves for teacher, parent, and participant.

As beads of sweat, identified as "trophy beads" by the class, glisten on the foreheads of these young people, the pounds will disappear over time and their self-esteem will grow. And the future obese population will shrink by about a dozen.

|Top| [February 7 , 2002 TODAY] [School of Medicine]

[News and media page]

All contents copyright © 2002 Loma Linda University. All rights reserved.
Revised Tuesday, February 26, 2002 4:16 AM
Send comments and questions to webmaster@univ.llu.edu
URL: http://www.llu.edu/