Griffin Hospital and the Valley School Districts (Shelton, Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, and Seymour schools, including Emmett O’Brien Technical), are committed to promoting the health of the Valley community and to combating childhood obesity. The Valley Initiative to Advance Health & Learning in Schools (VITAHLS) brings together Griffin Hospital, the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, and the 5 Valley school districts to develop, implement, evaluate, and sustain a Valley-wide school-based childhood obesity prevention program to reduce the prevalence of obesity in students in grades Pre-K – 12.
- To reduce the prevalence of obesity and to promote the health, wellbeing, and academic readiness of students enrolled in the 5 Valley school districts.
- To develop a comprehensive and sustainable obesity prevention initiative that focuses on nutrition and physical activity for children in grades Pre-K – 12.
- To extend the health promotion efforts to include parents/family and school staff.
Objectives of the VITAHLS initiative