Our Impact | Let's Go

Early care and education programs, out-of-school programs, schools and school nutrition programs are encouraged to complete the Let's Go! self-assessment and reflect on the practices and policies that make their school/program environment one that supports healthy behaviors. By completing the self-assessment sites can identify strengths and areas for growth and set goals that support creating and sustaining a healthy environment. Sites who complete the self-assessment are celebrated as Partners in Excellence.

Early Childhood Education (n=136) 

Out-of-School Sites (n=22) 

Schools (n=69)

School Nutrition Programs (n=33)

Let’s Go! embraced the updated recommendations on evaluation and treatment of childhood obesity, released in January 2023, by the American Academy of Pediatrics. These new recommendations encourage a more proactive approach to evaluation and treatment. Let’s Go! devoted time and effort to improve MaineHealth Medical Group (MHMG) provider adoption of these recommendations. Use of updated clinical practice guidelines in medical care is not immediate, widespread adoption of new guidelines commonly takes over 10 years.

The Let’s Go! team utilized evidence-based recommendations from implementation science to prioritize our efforts. Areas of focus included improving provider awareness and understanding of the guidelines, creating programming to fill gaps in availability of recommended behavioral therapies, and development of streamlined electronic health record (EHR) pathways for ease of guideline adoption in the clinical setting.

Improving care for adults who have obesity in the primary care setting has been a priority as well. Let’s Go! partnered with the MaineHealth Weight Management program in medical learner education and supporting development of improved adult obesity medicine EHR resources, including e-consults and an adult provider obesity focused pathway.

Let's Go! evaluated gaps and addressed them with:

37 pediatric e-consults were completed January 2024 through September 2024 from MHMG primary care practices in collaboration with MH Weight Management

 

441 encounters where one or more sections of the pediatric elevated BMI SmartSet were used

Providers shared Let's Go! healthy habits resources with patients and families in 76% of encounters.

Over 60 individuals registered for an obesity ECHO series

Roles range from physicians and APPs to behavioral health providers, RDs and pharmacists. The goal is to help care teams feel more comfortable and competent to address the disease of obesity. Let's Go! partnered with MaineHealth Weight Management to run this series in 2024-2025.

119 referrals to Intensive Health Behavior & Lifestyle Therapy (IHBLT)

Let's Go! partnered with MHMG to expand the Bright Bodies program with locations in Norway and South Portland, Maine.

In-Person/Virtual Learning

Let’s Go! provides quality professional development opportunities to medical learners and staff at enrolled Let’s Go! sites through in-person and virtual trainings to increase knowledge and implementation of healthy eating and physical activity best practices. Let’s Go! offers many unique opportunities to meet the needs of each target audience, including a School Symposium and virtual Cooking Matters for the Child Care Professional training.

On-Demand Learning

Let’s Go! Learning is our on-demand learning platform. Each on-demand course provides training content relevant to a specific setting and/or strategy.

Learn how families are implementing 5-2-1-0 strategies at home, in their own words.

5 or more fruits and vegetables

“I serve my kids a bowl of fresh veggies before supper. This is always the time when they are starving, so this is a healthy snack that won't "ruin" their supper, and even though my kids like veggies, if they are on the plate with pasta or protein, sometimes the veggies get eaten last, which sometimes means not at all. So we get the veggies out of the way first.” – Cumberland County

“We grow a lot of our own veggies and that helps to reach our daily goal of fruits and veggies.” – Lincoln County

2 hour or less of recreational screentime

“They use to love phone and TV, we decided to change from that to books and that have been helping because we as parents engage on it too.” -  Androscoggin County

“Limiting screen time has improved behavior and overall attitude at our home.” – Lincoln County

“Trying to cut down on screen time has helped my kids play more independently.”  - Androscoggin County

1 Hour or more of physical activity

“We love walks around our neighborhood!! Water is the drink of choice in our home!” – York County

“Our daughter loves extra curricular activities like dance which helps to achieve the activity level of an hour a day or more.” - Carroll County

0 Sugary Drinks, More Water

“We have essentially eliminated sugar-sweetened beverages from our home. The kids know the main drink in our house is water.” - Kennebec County

“When they ask for sugary drinks, I remind them that 5210 says they are not a healthy choice.”  - Cumberland County

• Let's Go! Our Impact, FY2023
• Let's Go! Our Impact, FY2022
• Let's Go! Our Impact, FY2021
• Let's Go! Annual Report, FY 2020
• Let’s Go! Annual Report, FY 2019
• Let’s Go! Annual Report, FY 2018