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 HARTFORD, Conn., March 16, 2010 —  Aetna (NYSE: AET) today awarded a $40,000 grant to Action for Healthy Kids®, a nonprofit volunteer organization that works with schools to fight childhood obesity.  The grant will support expansion of the 3-Point Play^SM program, a childhood obesity initiative brought to local communities by Aetna, Magic Johnson Enterprises, Action for Healthy Kids, and other community partners. 

The 3-Point Play program is a nutrition and exercise program for children that was piloted last year in the Houston (Texas) Independent School District, and is currently being implemented in the Aldine (Texas) School District.  The program was created in 2009 to help combat childhood obesity and has three main components that encourage kids to move more, eat healthier, and engage – along with their families – in making lasting healthy lifestyle changes.  The success of the program is based on three measures:  pre- and post- “Fitnessgrams” administered to each student; active program participation; and meeting state guidelines for physical activity minutes.  Fitnessgrams include a body mass index (BMI) measurement, a cardio-respiratory test, and strength and flexibility testing.

A study of the project results showed significant and measureable weight loss and improvements in physical fitness among the children who participated.

“The results of the 3-Point Play program on the health and fitness of the children who have participated in it are outstanding.  It shows that a customized curriculum, high-caliber resources, dedicated teaching staff and focus on the three points (eating better, moving more and family involvement) can positively affect the health not just of one child but of the entire student body,” said Floyd Green, Aetna’s head of Community Relations and Urban Marketing.  “Our employees are routinely generous toward good causes and it is exciting to know that their donations, earned through actions they took to benefit their own health, will help this program reach and improve the health of even more children.” 

As part of Aetna’s internal employee health and fitness program, Get Active Aetna, employees can earn completion prizes associated with health and fitness activities.  During 2009, employees were given the opportunity to donate the value of their completion prize to support the 3-Point Play program.  More than 1,100 employees did so, and those donations were matched at 50 percent by the Aetna Foundation to reach the $40,000 total.

Aetna awarded the grant to Action for Healthy Kids representatives who were in Hartford to discuss expansion of the 3-Point Play program to additional communities.  In addition to Houston, the program will be introduced in Washington, D.C. this year. 

Aetna is also interested in bringing the program to a school district in Connecticut in the near future.

About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is a national health foundation that promotes wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. Our giving is focused on addressing the rising rates of adult and childhood obesity in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care; and advancing integrated health care. Originally founded in 1972 as the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc., Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed over $379 million in grants and sponsorships since 1980. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered nearly 2 million hours since 2003. For more information  visit www.aetnafoundation.org.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.1 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

About Action for Healthy Kids 
Action for Healthy Kids® is the nation’s leading nonprofit and largest volunteer network fighting childhood obesity and undernourishment by working with schools to improve nutrition and physical activity to help our kids learn to eat right, be active every day and be ready to learn. We provide expertise, volunteers, programs and resources nationwide through a unique collaboration of thousands of professionals, parents, educators, community volunteers and students, in partnership with more than 65 professional associations, government agencies and corporations. More information is available at ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Action-for-Healthy-Kids/267076500068?ref=mf and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Act4HlthyKids.