Camden County Nutrition Advocate, Robin Waddell, MPH, Receives New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids Champion Award

December 9, 2013 | Camden, Media Coverage

Originally published in The Collingswood Patch

Camden County Nutrition Advocate, Robin Waddell, MPH, Receives New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids Champion Award
Award recognizes significant contributions in the area of childhood obesity preventionNew Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK), a program of the Robert  Wood Johnson Foundation, presented its first “Healthy Kids Champion” award to Robin Waddell, MPH, of Delanco during  its Building Healthy  Communities Conference on December 4, 2013 at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ.

The award acknowledges Robin Waddell, MPH, County  Extension Department Head, Senior Program Coordinator of nutrition  education program in Camden County and the Southwest Regional Supervisor for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, for her outstanding support of the  organization’s mission to design and implement childhood obesity  prevention strategies that support access to affordable healthy foods  and increases opportunities for safe physical activity; and for her  outstanding efforts in advocating the implementation of breakfast in the classroom and wellness policies in Camden County.

The Healthy  Kids Champion award is one of six presented to outstanding leaders for  their commitment and contributions in each of the NJPHK targeted  communities of Camden, New Brunswick, Newark, Trenton and Vineland.

“It is an honor to present the Healthy Kids Champion award to Robin Waddell for her outstanding leadership in and commitment to combating childhood obesity in Camden,” said Darrin Anderson, deputy director, NJPHK.  “Robin has made a significant impact in preventing childhood obesity  through her management of programs that teach healthy eating and  nutrition needs to children and adults in Camden.  Her involvement on  the Advisory Board of the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden has provided us with invaluable guidance in forwarding the program’s  mission.”

Nationally, approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of  children and adolescents aged 2-19 are obese.  Children who are  overweight or obese as preschoolers are 5 times (5x) as likely as  normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults.* In a study  published by Rutgers Center for State Health Policy in 2010, in Camden  alone, approximately 39.8% of children ages 3-19 were overweight or  obese.* “Teaching is my passion; and I am a firm believer that health,  nutrition and physical education are the keys to combating childhood  obesity in Camden,” said Robin Waddell, MPH.  “I am extremely proud of  the programs and policies we are putting in place, and the positive  reaction from the community.  I am honored to receive an award for doing something that I am so passionate about.”

About New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids
New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) is a statewide program of  the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with technical assistance and  direction provided by the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance. The goal of  the program is to convene, connect and empower community partnerships  across the state in order to design and implement childhood obesity  prevention strategies that support access to affordable healthy foods  and increase opportunities for safe physical activity in the cities of  Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, Trenton, and Vineland. In Camden, the  initiative is supported by the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties  and United Way of Camden County. For more information about  NJPHK-Camden, visit https://njhealthykids.org/communities/camden/.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and  health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest  philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the  Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals  to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely  change. For more than 40 years the Foundation has brought experience,  commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that  affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to  helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the  Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more  information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/facts.html and http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/find-rwjf-research/2010/07/new-jersey-childhood-obesity-study1.html.

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