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Family Wellness in the Golden Plains Area
Gisele Jefferson, Area Extension Agent - Golden Plains
Area
Date: 5/25/2011
Questions? Contact
Me
Raising healthy children can be a challenge as parents try to
encourage kids to make wise food choices. Helping kids learn to make those
choices doesn't just happen at the dinner table. It is a lifelong
process.
Colorado State University Extension has a new program available
for families which focuses on helping children learn to make wise food choices
and increase activity. The program was developed to address the issue of
childhood obesity, but it is not a weight loss program. Rather, it is a program
to teach children lifelong habits so they won't gain excess weight as they
grow.
Research shows that when children are overweight, they continue to
carry that extra weight their entire life. This increases their risk for
developing chronic health issues like heart disease, diabetes and
cancer.
While this program is open to any family, we especially would
like one of the children to be age 8 to 12. There is no cost to participate and
families receive pedometers and an educational manual. The program is
self-paced with health and wellness goals established monthly. Participants
meet with the Extension Agent once at the beginning and once at the end.
Between those times, communication will be via internet and email to help
families assess progress toward their goals.
Children in families which
eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables are less likely to be
overweight and less likely to have heart disease or other chronic disease as
adults. It starts when children are very young and beginning to show their
preferences for certain foods. Naturally they gravitate towards sweet, salty
and high fat foods because of the yummy taste. But, children can also learn to
enjoy a variety of foods representing all food groups. Part of the process is
for parents to model eating a variety of foods, which are not mainly sweet,
salty and high fat.
Another way parents and other adults can model
behavior is by being active. This will vary for each family, but it's taking
walks or hikes together, spending an afternoon at a playground, participating
in team or family sporting events, or other types of activities.
What's
most important is the family does something besides stare at a screen.
Evaluating the amount of screen time for a family will make them aware of
inactive hours. Screen time includes not just television, but also using a
computer and playing video games.
To learn more about this free program,
click on the link below and call Gisele Jefferson 970-345-2287 or
gisele.jefferson@colostate.edu;
Joy Akey 970-332-4151 or joy.akey@colostate.edu; or Tracy
Trumper 970-854-3616 or tracy.trumper@colostate.edu.
Colorado State
University Family Research Study Flyer