UNLV's Department of Nutrition Sciences, the City of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services, and the City of Henderson's Parks and Recreation Department have been selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to participate in a community-based educational outreach program designed to help fight childhood obesity in youth ages 8-13.
The Southern Nevada Team, which was selected as one of only 13 such participating partnerships around the country, will provide parents and caregivers with educational materials and activities that encourage improved nutritional choices, increased physical activity, and reduced sedentary time. The program, called "Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition," or "We Can!," was developed by the NIH with input from more than 70 public health leaders, nutritionists, dieticians, youth marketing experts, and park and recreation officials.
The launch of "We Can!" was announced today by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt at the Environmental Solutions to Obesity in America's Youth conference in Washington, DC.
Molly Michelman, a lecturer in UNLV's department of nutrition sciences and project manager for the partnership, says the collaboration between UNLV and the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson could have far reaching implications for our valley's youth.
"Overweight children are at increased risk for chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and depression," Michelman said. "By educating parents and children about the benefits of healthy dietary choices and physical exercise, we are not only investing in the future of our children but in the vitality of our communities as well."
The Southern Nevada Team will engage the local community through the "We Can!" program by hosting several free classes, youth programs, and community events at select locations around the valley. " We Can!" is unique among existing youth obesity-prevention initiatives in its focus on programs and activities for parents and families as a primary group for influencing youth audiences.
There is new evidence that teaching children and their parents to make lifestyle changes like the ones proposed in "We Can!" can have an impact. A study published online today in the journal Pediatrics shows that children ages 8 to 10 who were enrolled in a behaviorally oriented nutrition education program with their parents and were taught to follow a diet low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol reported switching from calorie-dense and high-fat foods to foods that were lower in saturated fat, total fat, and dietary cholesterol.
The children in the intervention adopted significantly better dietary habits over several years compared to their peers who received only general nutritional information. The results are from an ancillary study of the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC), a multi-center study supported by the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
