Dovenberg strives to deliver healthier living message
Jean Caspers-Simmet
Date Modified: 01/07/2010 9:47 AM
E-mail article | Print version
Agri News staff writer
DECORAH, Iowa -- Liz Dovenberg, a senior at Decorah High School, got involved with the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative through a friend.
"News about the 'obesity epidemic' was all over television broadcasts, and I wanted to see if I could help reverse the trend," Dovenberg said.
As a member of the Regional Food and Fitness Youth Team and the youth team in her community, Dovenberg has worked on many projects. Those efforts included incorporating healthier food into school lunches, ala carte lines and concession stands. She has taught elementary students, organized food surveys, facilitated youth discussions and given more than 50 speeches to audiences from 10-year-olds to political leaders.
"The FFI is involved in so many projects, it's hard to remember all the work we are currently doing, and there are many more projects that I'm not involved with," Dovenberg said.
Because of her involvement with the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative, she has gained knowledge about the importance of healthy living, become a more effective leader, enhanced her public speaking skills and increased her awareness and appreciation of cultural differences, Dovenberg said.
"I hope to see continued changes in school foods, offering healthier, locally grown options; an increase in physical activity at all ages; an increased interest in nutritious food and fitness; and an overall healthier nation," Dovenberg said of her vision for the program's future.
She would like to see increased awareness of the damage obesity can do to one's overall health.
"Many people do not have the knowledge needed to push them to become healthier," Dovenberg said. "Until I had that information, when I joined FFI, I was unaware of the severity of the obesity epidemic."
Some facts she's learned:
• Today's children will be the first generation in memory to have a shorter life span than their parents due to obesity and other health concerns.
• Overweight children report a lower quality of life than children with cancer.
"It would be interesting to see the changes in this trend if everyone truly understood the need for healthy foods and daily physical activity," Dovenberg said.
There are signs that the work of the Food and Fitness Initiative is working.
"In my school, the food service members and school administration are very receptive to the FFI's message and encourage our work," Dovenberg said. "Students have noticed locally grown foods in the lunches, and many unhealthy options have been removed from the a la carte menu and replaced with healthier options, like fresh fruit. We are also receiving positive feedback from elementary students, teachers, parents and administrators about our involvement at the elementary school level."