BANG went the balloon. The fourth-graders sitting on the floor in front of him jumped, then laughed.
Then Spangler had Joey Tallwhiteman, from Chief Charlo Elementary School, high-five Kory Nelson. He directed Nelson to shake hands with his Clinton Elementary School classmate Wyatt Darah. He had Tallwhiteman scratch his nose.
Well, not really.
That's because Spangler, the infection control coordinator at St. Patrick Hospital, had placed what's called “glow germ powder” in the balloon before blowing it up and popping it.
The balloon and powder simulated what happens when you don't cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
Using a black light that he ran over all the boys' hands and Tallwhiteman's face, Spangler showed the youngsters how easily germs can be spread. The powder that had scattered when the balloon popped, invisible to the naked eye, glowed under the light.
The exercise had two goals: To show the students the importance of respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. In other words, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and wash your hands with warm water and soap frequently to interrupt the journey of germs.
Elsewhere in the St. Pat's conference room and outside on the lawn, kids were learning about everything from bicycle helmet safety to how to properly brush and floss their teeth as they moved through seven stations.
It's all a part of a St. Pat's-funded program called CATCH - Coordinated Approach to Child Health - and it goes far beyond a morning program that encourages kids to not start smoking, or to cover their mouths when they sneeze.
St. Pat's dietician Laura Del Guerra has worked with school breakfast and lunch providers to improve the nutrition value of the meals. The CATCH curriculum has been integrated into classrooms and physical education classes. In the fall, it will offer more formal family teaching opportunities.
CATCH has its roots in a University of Texas study that found children's eating and activity behaviors - in other words, their health - can be improved.
“They investigated what happens if you immerse children in this curricula, what will the difference be,” said Merry Hutton, community services coordinator at the hospital. “The research proved it was worthwhile.”
The program has four components according to Hutton: family home team activities, the Eat Smart school nutrition guide, physical activities and a classroom curriculum.
FlagHouse, a New Jersey firm that supplies products and services to physical educators and recreation and therapy professionals, purchased the marketing and distribution rights to the Texas program.
Company officials were in Missoula on Tuesday filming the Health and Physical Activity Fair at St. Pat's for a video that will go out to policymakers and hospital associations throughout the country touting the program's benefits to children's health.
“Usually, it's a YMCA or a school district that champions the program,” said Kathy Chichester, FlagHouse's national CATCH coordinator. “But this is by far the strongest I've seen. There are a lot more partners at the table.”
Originally paid for by state funds, St. Pat's stepped in when that money ran out.
“I was aware the schools were going to lose it, and we thought we should expand what the program can do,” Hutton said. “We decided, let's take it to the next level.”
St. Pat's is adding schools to the program, and has involved several other areas of the community, including the Missoula City-County Health Department and Parks and Rec.
What that means, for instance, is that CATCH-recommended activities that improve physical fitness could find their way into Parks and Rec summer and after-school programs.
“This is unique because it is so integrated into the community,” Chichester said.
Much of it is subtle. Del Guerra, the dietician, said some of the changes she's helped schools implement in their lunch programs are as simple as adding spinach leaves, carrots and cucumbers to the plain iceberg lettuce that had previously counted as a salad.
“Everything we do, we ask the kids what they think about it,” Del Guerra said. “We give the kids a voice, and watch what they eat - that's the tale of the tape. Democracy rules.”
CATCH also recommends that school lunches offer two fruits and two vegetables each day, so if kids don't like one, they might select the other.
When family programs start, they may include chefs demonstrating how to cook healthy family dinners, or talking about healthy eating around the holidays.
By the time it wraps up Wednesday, more than 600 area children will have gone through the stations at the fair.
Reporter Vince Devlin can be reached at 523-5260 or at vdevlin@missoulian.com
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