ASHLAND — A collaborative effort between area school districts, colleges and medical facilities aimed at improving the health of local children kicked off last week.

Attacking the epidemic of childhood obesity will be the main thrust of two separate-but-partner programs seeking primarily to gather data, develop a set of best practices for future programs and give teachers resources to use with students now to improve their health.

The Healthy Hearts for Healthy Kids program, administered by the Kentucky Heart Institute at King’s Daughters Medical Center, and the Healthy You-Healthy Me program, administered by Ashland Community and Technical College Foundation of Ashland Inc., got underway at Russell, Greenup and Ashland school districts this week.

Nursing students from ACTC, Ohio University Southern and Shawnee State University visited the districts’ after school programs, where they recorded the height, weight and blood pressure and calculated the body mass index of participating children. The children will be tested again after several months to gauge improvements.

OUS also sponsored a health fair at the Russell schools.

In the future, students will listen to presentations about nutrition, heart health and fitness. KHI will also be distributing interactive games such as Nintendo Wii Fit and Dance, Dance Revolution to schools that do not already have them and encouraging children to play.

As a part of the ACTC program, students in teacher preparation classes are developing tool kits that will be given to after-school program staff. They will contain nutrition education and activities and exercises for the children to build strength, stamina and coordination.

About 400 kindergarten through sixth-grade students in after school programs at the various schools are expected to participate in the programs, which are funded though the end of the year by a $30,000 grant from the Foundation for the Tri-State and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. Each program received $15,000.

Mary Witten Wiseman, director of the Foundation for the Tri-State, said the decision to split the funds between ACTC and KHI was made because of the unique opportunity for both to work together on an issue that profoundly affects the health of the region.

“Childhood obesity issue here is huge… There were so many different things that could make a change come about. By having the two merge we felt we were going to get more out of it than going with one group,” Wiseman said. “Both of them focused on obesity in children, but they had a slightly different mix of schools and a different approach.”

“We told them we would fund both of you if you partner,” she said. That way, Wiseman explained, “not only will students receive teaching, they will receive the medical end of it in the screenings.”

“This partnership is an example of how a community can work together to benefit its children,” said Dr. Robert Touchon, cardiologist and medical director of KHI. “We all gain from this project.”

Nursing educators say they are thrilled to be included in the programs.

“The OUS Nursing Program felt that this was a great way to be able to give our nursing students an excellent community health experience in addition to having the opportunity to serve so many children,” said Nicole Pennington, an assistant professor of nursing at OUS. “(It) provides them with a positive community health experience by providing health screenings and providing health education information. This is part of their required clinical hours for completion of the Associate Degree Program.”

Students from Kentucky Christian University’s Yancey School of Nursing will also be helping to gather the medical data next semester and doing a literature review to support the study, Abigail Beck, clinical instructor, said.

“It just works perfectly with our curriculum and what our program is trying to promote,” she said. “We try to take part in any community activity we can, particularly that helps improve the quality of life of children.”

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.