Revere on the Move
Revere on the Move (formerly the Food & Fitness Task Force) was formed in 2008 by Revere CARES with the goals of promoting healthy eating and active living in the community of Revere through policy and environmental changes targeting youth and their families.
The obesity epidemic is a well-known national problem. In Revere, 29% of adults are overweight or obese, compared to 22% statewide. The 2007 Revere Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported that 19% of youth watched five or more hours of TV, videos, and/or video games on an average school day. Only 18% of students reported eating a vegetable at least once a day in the past week, down from 25 percent in 1999. Forty-six percent of high school students attended physical education class at least once a week, down from 84% in 1999. As a result, Revere CARES, originally founded in 1997 to address substance abuse issues in the community identified food and fitness as a priority in its 2006 community assessment. The Food & Fitness Task Force was formed in response, and in 2010 conducted a comprehensive community assessment (funded by the Mass in Motion program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health) to inform an action plan to ultimately reduce childhood obesity and hunger.
- Revere on the Move, comprised of the mayor, police chief, educators, and other community representatives, has identified two primary strategies to achieve the goal of reducing childhood obesity and hunger: 1) increase access to healthy foods, and 2) increase opportunities for physical activity. Proposed activities build on the community assets of Revere, such as the long beachfront as a center of activity, and strong partnerships with a variety of community groups, the schools, and MGH.
Revere on the Move will utilize an environmental approach, with the goal of impacting several realms that influence nutrition and physical activity, such as schools and the larger community.
A social marketing campaign called Revere on the Move was developed and launched on October 15, 2011. Formative research informed the development of a logo and a message. During the summer, a soft launch was implemented. A trained youth group attended community events and organized play activities for the children. Give-away items were distributed to parents and youth. Cable television videotaped the activities, and a news release informed the community of the campaign.
In 2012:
- Revere’s first Community Garden was inaugurated in the Spring; the garden had 15 plots that were all cultivated during the summer season. The reception of the garden by the neighborhood was extremely positive and a final meeting and closure of the garden for the season was held in October.
- ROTM with the City of Revere piloted a healthy dinner program in two after school elementary programs; 110 students participated.
- The third year of the adopt-a-park program was successfully implemented. A new process was piloted this year in which youth from summer programs were paired up with the park’s neighborhood organization for its renovation, and three new parks were cleaned up and beautified during the summer.
- The City of Revere held a successful first City-wide Fitness Challenge and is planning host one annually from now on. Two hundred and ten people participated, and together they lost 154 pounds.
- Data from Whelan Elementary Walk to School program showed a 48% increase in the number of miles walked by our students as a whole from week one to week four and an increase in the number of students walking during the same duration by 51%. During the same four counting weeks, Whelan’s Green team counted cars on Monday and then compared that number to the cars counted on Wednesday (walking day). On average the number of cars counted on non-walk days was 200, with the average number of cars counted on Wednesday decreasing to 167 cars or a decrease of 17%.
- During late Spring, Revere on the Move, Revere School District and WalkBoston/Safe Routes to School (SRTS) established a district-wide walk-to-school program. A district SRTS coordinator position was created and filled. On International Walk to School Day in October, all 6 Revere Elementary Schools participated. The program is scheduled to last three years with the goals of formally establishing safe routes to schools for all schools, establishing a norm in students of walking to school and alleviating traffic congestion.
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Sylvia Chiang
Phone: 781 485-6161
