Washington, DC (NAPSI) - There is helpful news for parents and others who are concerned about the health of America’s children.
A new public service education campaign offers tips on getting children to eat right, be more active and maintain a healthy weight.
Childhood Obesity
The Obesity Prevention in Children Campaign, created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH’sWe Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition)® program and the Ad Council, is focused on helping parents and caregivers help children maintain a healthy weight by highlighting the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating habits in a fun and engaging way for the whole family.
Through a multimedia public service advertising (PSA) campaign, developed pro bono by Ogilvy & Mather, American families are encouraged to learn how to stay healthy by making family time healthy time.
Today, nearly one in three children inAmericaare overweight or obese. Overweight youths are at greater risk for numerous health consequences, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. In order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in this country, it is crucial that parents have the information they need to help them teach children the importance and benefits of healthy eating and being physically active.
The new “I Can, You Can, We Can!”PSAs are designed to empower parents and caregivers to find creative ways to challenge and engage their kids to make healthy choices.
In the video PSA “Dunk,” a mom challenges her kids to be more physically active by attempting to, and finally succeeding in, dunking a basketball. The TV PSA “Juice” shows a father trying multiple combinations of fresh fruits and vegetables in a juicer in an attempt to find a blend that will appeal to his daughter and encourage her to eat healthy.
The PSAs direct audiences to the We Can! website, where they can find fun suggestions for ways families can get healthy together, such as:
• Playing music and challenging kids to a dance-a-thon in the living room. See who has the best moves.
• Asking the kids to help choose recipes to cook for the week. Challenge them to find recipes that include at least two different vegetables.
• Having a sit-up competition with the kids during commercial breaks when watching TV.
• Buying and serving a new fruit or vegetable at least once a week. Have a mini taste test competition during dinner with the new ingredients.
To learn more about the program and find doable tips and activities to share with the entire family, visit www.nih.gov/wecan. To learn more about the Ad Council, visit www.adcouncil.org.
