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Home  Feature Articles Important Lessons from FIT KIDS
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Important Lessons from FIT KIDS |
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Friday, 30 June 2006 |
Learning to choose nutritious foods and enjoy regular activity are lessons that have a lifelong effect on a child’s health and self-esteem. FIT KIDS, offered by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, has helped to teach families to make healthy lifestyle choices since 1996.
The six-week program, designed to help overweight children and their parents, receives a lot of praise from families who’ve benefited from it. One parent says: “My son has changed our habits. He is asking for healthy snack choices and now we are too. Instead of sitting on the couch first thing on Saturday mornings, we went out to play some basketball and other games—even in the rain!”
The stats are impressive. Over 500 families have attended the classes. Nearly 90% of the parents have recommended FIT KIDS to others, while 72% report that they continue to use lifestyle changes taught in the class. And 86% of the children report that they eat more fruits and vegetables, 71% drink more water and 64% report exercising more as a family.
FIT KIDS targets children between 6 and 12 years old with separate classes for 6-9 year olds and 9-12 year olds. The children attend classes once a week for 90 minutes with their parents or primary caregivers. The program fee is $200 and a physician’s permission to participate is required.
For info on FIT KIDS, contact Program Coordinator Beth Passehl, MS at 404-785-7236 or
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A schedule of classes, registration forms and other relevant information can be found at www.choa.org/fitkids. For more info on Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, visit www.choa.org or call 404-250-KIDS.
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