INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — To help address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, Indian River County Health Department has received an assistance award from the We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) childhood obesity prevention program. Developed by the National Institutes of Health, We Can! supports local efforts to help children and families maintain an active lifestyle and a healthy weight.
Childhood obesity is a public health crisis in the United States, and in Indian River County, 9.5 percent of middle school children are overweight or obese, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Indian River County Health Department has been teaching parents and caregivers how to get the entire family to eat right, move more and spend less time in front of the screen since they joined the We Can! movement in 2006.
“I am delighted that Indian River County Health Department was awarded $5,500 from the We Can! program to help address the growing issue of childhood obesity,” said Miranda Hawker, County Health Department Administrator.
“With these funds we will be able to hire nutrition and physical fitness personnel through our county’s Recreation Department to deliver the program’s activities, which includes providing education on improving food choices, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time,” explained Hawker.
Indian River County Health Department is one of 18 registered We Can! community sites across the country to receive community assistance support of up to $10,000 to implement programs that address the overall objectives of this program, which are to:
- Implement We Can!’s parent and/or youth curricula
- Build organizational and/or community capacity to implement We Can! curricula
- Expand existing community health efforts, programs, events, or activities to include We Can! messages and materials
- Be sustainable after the funding period ends
“We Can! Serving Indian River County Families” aims to help local families learn to choose healthier food and encourages parents and children to be more physically active.
Launched in 2005 by NIH, the We Can! program provides science-based strategies and resources for parents, caregivers and communities to help youth ages 8–13 stay at a healthy weight by improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and reducing screen time.
For more information about We Can!, visit http://WeCan.nhlbi.nih.gov.
For more information about Indian River County Health Department, visit www.myIRChd.com.