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Press Release

Independence Blue Cross Promotes Childhood Health With After School Health Club

Health and fitness czar Gwen Foster keynote speaker at closing event

Philadelphia, PA - January 23, 2006 - Independence Blue Cross will host a graduation ceremony on January 25 for local fourth graders who participated in an innovative health and fitness program IBC developed to help reduce obesity by promoting good nutrition decision-making and fun physical activity.

During the 12-week After School Health Club at General George A. McCall School in Philadelphia, 20 children conducted experiments to find out how many calories are burned in two minutes by walking, skipping and jogging. Also, to illustrate how much sugar is in a typical can of soda, they dumped 10 teaspoons of sugar in 12 ounces of water. To learn how to make wise food choices, they reported what they'd eaten that morning and brainstormed ways to make breakfast healthier. The program also incorporated lots of physical activity, including basketball, jump rope, relay races, scooters and games using a Sony EyeToy, an interactive device that uses a video camera to make the children an active part of a video game.

At the graduation celebration on Wednesday, January 25 at McCall, Philadelphia's health and fitness czar, Gwen Foster, will give a keynote presentation and congratulate the students for their efforts.

"Independence Blue Cross is committed to promoting healthy lifestyles and fitness for all our members, including children," said Richard Snyder, MD, Vice President Quality Management. "The After School Health Club is one more way we're helping our community stay healthy."

According to a recent report by the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, a non-profit public health group, about 51 percent of Philadelphia children weigh too much for their height and age. In addition, a University of Pennsylvania study led by Dr. Stella Volpe found that 24 percent of fourth through six graders are obese. Children who are overweight have a 70 percent chance to grow into overweight or obese adults, which puts them at greater risk for health problem such as diabetes and heart disease.

IBC implemented the After School Health Club in collaboration with the Philadelphia School District and the University of Pennsylvania.

The program, conceived by Independence Blue Cross, was funded by the Centers for Disease Control through a grant from America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Healthy snacks were donated by Whole Foods for the two-hour, twice weekly program.

IBC is developing a CD-ROM toolkit with downloadable worksheets and age-appropriate activities so that school nurses can launch an After School Health Club. IBC will provide materials, including water bottles, pedometers, jump ropes and resistance bands, which were also given to the students in the McCall program

The graduation ceremony will take place at General George A McCall School, 325 S. 7th Street in Philadelphia, on January 25, from 4 p.m. to 5p.m.

Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.4 million people. For more than 65 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered quality health care products and services tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, groups and providers.

Independence Blue Cross recently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO and PPO health care plans. In addition, in 2005, Independence Blue Cross's Personal Choice was rated the No. 1 PPO in the nation and its Keystone HMO was ranked the No. 1 HMO in the region by health care consumers in a leading independent consumer magazine.