A Q&A with Susan Dell, Co-Founder and Board Chair

Susan Dell is board chair of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation; a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; an accomplished athlete; and a busy mother of four. Preventing childhood obesity is a personal passion of Susan’s and key priority for the family foundation. 

 

A: Michael and I became interested when we realized what an epidemic childhood obesity had become in this country. A third of America’s children are overweight, and 70% of them will become overweight adults. Being overweight leads to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and bone and joint problems – serious diseases with dire consequences. In addition, overweight and obese children often suffer from low self-esteem, bullying, teasing and depression. Those statistics are terrifying to me, particularly as a mom.

 

I admit I also have a personal passion for instilling healthy habits in children. I grew up in a household of fitness enthusiasts, so I was fortunate to learn a love of exercise early in my life, and I’ve been practicing it for so long, it now comes natural to me. It’s important for families to know that they can take small, simple steps to eat healthier and become more physically active that evolve into a lifestyle.

 

 

A: Preventing childhood obesity requires the cooperation and collaboration of the major influences of a child’s life – school, family, community, policy and the children themselves. As a nation, we need to look for ways to teach children healthy habits and help them understand that healthy foods and portions, combined with regular physical activity, can help them improve performances of all kinds: academic, physical, artistic and mental. 

 

A: Our family foundation hopes to help prevent childhood obesity through research, programs and leadership. We think research is incredibly important to understand how to best prevent childhood obesity, so we helped fund the Michael & Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living, a world-class center in Austin, TX working to better influence factors, behaviors, and conditions that positively affect healthy living and prevent childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes in children. The Dell Pediatric Research Institute, due to open in 2009, is part of the University of Texas at Austin and will be focused on conducting research on children’s health.

 

We’ve also made several program-related grants with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and regional programs in Chicago, Central Texas and other areas. These programs are designed to help instill healthy habits in children, like good nutrition and exercise.

 

I’m also a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which sets national guidelines for physical activity. 

 

A: Childhood obesity is a newer area of our portfolio, but we like to work with organizations who are offering programs to help prevent childhood obesity in large, urban areas of the United States and are committed to measuring the progress of those efforts. You’ll likely see us support programs targeting the major sources of influence in a child’s life: school, family, community, policy and the children themselves

 

 

A: It’s important for families to understand the small, easy steps can significantly increase our children’s prospects for longer, healthier lives. My personal philosophy is “fuel for performance, train for life.” If we think of food as fuel, the right kind of fuel – or nutritious food – gives our children’s bodies energy and their brains the nutrition they need to keep running. When their bodies are fueled with healthy options – lots of water, healthy portion sizes, 5 small meals a day, and all the green vegetables they want – they perform better – whether they’re taking a test, playing music, painting a picture, or participating in a sporting event.

 

Being healthy is also about being physically active to train for life. Training for life means get moving, at least 60 minutes a day for our kids, to ride a bike, dance, swim, participate in a school sport, or walk to a friend’s house. Small steps – literally – and fitting in physical activity every day helps our children’s bodies avoid serious health issues like heart disease and diabetes. 

 

We’ve met some terrific parents who are incorporating these habits into their households in wonderfully creative ways and building a lifestyle, not a quick-fix fitness or diet program. Striking a healthy balance between good nutrition and regular physical activity is absolutely crucial.