It is estimated that nearly nine million American youth (ages 6-21) have a disability that requires special services. Healthy People 2020 and CDC report that notable disparities in health and healthcare exist within this population. To address this, I Can Do It, You Can Do It! (ICDI) seeks to facilitate and encourage opportunities for youth across the nation to be physically active and practice healthy eating habits.
Activity Highlights
Youth with disabilities are at greater risk than their able-bodied peers to develop poor health, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and muscular-skeletal limitations because they are not given equitable access to opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. ICDI is a mentoring program that seeks to facilitate and encourage opportunities for children and youth across the nation to be physically active and practice healthy eating habits, and receive President's Challenge Awards for their efforts.
Upon setting a weekly healthy eating goal and maintaining 30 – 60 minutes of activity (depending of physical ability) five days a week for a six week period, ICDI participants earn the PALA+, which includes a certificate signed by President Barack Obama or with enough consecutive activity, a bronze, silver or gold medal. Since 2008, the ICDI program has created opportunities for more than 5,000 children with disabilities to earn awards of the President's Challenge program.
Background
The ICDI national model was initiated by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Disability in 2004 and supported by the National Institutes of Health-Division of Nutrition Research Coordination (DNRC). The project was field tested from 2004 – 2008 in various sites to assess the feasibility and validity of the model. With evidence that the model was feasible and valid, ICDI was further expanded from 2008 to 2011 at nine sites in a project entitled, "The National Expansion and Evaluation of the ICDI Program", which was sponsored by DNRC and PCFSN. The nine project sites included: Slippery Rock University, PA; James Madison University, VA; University of North Carolina-Wilmington, NC; Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL; State University of New York-Cortland/Jim MacDonald Sports Complex, NY; University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, WI; Splore Recreation Center, UT; California State University-Chico, CA; and Tennessee Tech University, TN.
In 2011, when the program was slated to be discontinued, PCFSN formed a Consensus Panel of experts to assess the impact, status, and viability of the program, and provide recommendations regarding its future. During a meeting on May 22-23, 2012, the Consensus Panel determined that the program is valuable and effective, and should be expanded and re-launched across the nation. PCFSN Council member and Miami-Dade County Public Schools physical educator, Dr. Jayne Greenberg, will lead revitalization efforts for the program along with PCFSN staff member, Lauren Darensbourg, who manages partnerships for minority and underserved populations.