Technology eyed as tool in obesity fight
By Marsha Sills
Acadiana bureau
November 07, 2012
LAFAYETTE — The potential role of technology in combating and preventing childhood obesity in the community will be the topic of discussion Monday at CampFiber.
CampFiber seeks to bring health professionals, technology professionals, researchers, community leaders, representatives from the school system and local health care providers around the same table to discuss existing resources and potential projects to help the community’s children be healthier, said Geoff Daily, executive director of FiberCorps, a nonprofit created to capitalize on Lafayette’s fiber optics infrastructure.
The event is produced by FiberCorps and sponsored by Lafayette Utilities System, Lafayette General Medical Center and the Center for Business and Information Technologies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
The ongoing implications of childhood obesity on the health of a community and its effects on children’s performances in school will be discussed. Other issues to be discussed include current initiatives such as a Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana grant secured by several community partners, and the Lafayette Parish School System’s vision to improve students’ health, Daily said.
“With childhood obesity, you can’t move the needle on it unless you get everyone on board, working together,” he said.
Those who attend will learn about ongoing and new initiatives and how they can become a part of the effort, Daily said.
The “camp” format is interactive with audience discussion encouraged, he said.
The event Monday continues community efforts focused on technology-based solutions for health issues, Daily said.
The first CampFiber event held two years ago fostered collaborations that led to the opening of a Lafayette General Medical Center telemedicine clinic at Stuller Inc. and Lafayette’s selection as a test site for Louisiana Health Information Exchange, Daily said.
In April, Lafayette was the site of the Cajun Code Fest, a coding competition that challenged competitors to design applications that could help reduce childhood obesity. The competition sparked several ideas, including a game that helps kids make healthier food choices, which CampFiber attendees will be able to see in action and offer feedback on how developers’ may improve the game, Daily said.
And this summer, Lafayette joined a national initiative focused on innovative solutions to community issues when it was designated as a “Living Lab for Health Innovation.”
The community has the resources to produce positive changes, Daily said.
“We hope to turn good ideas and good intentions into full-out aspirational plans that we’re able to execute,” he said.
The event is free, but registration is required. CampFiber is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday at the SMS Training Facility, 2916 N. University Ave. Register at www.campfiber2012.eventbrite.com or contact info@fibercorps.com.