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Program Aims to Prevent Childhood Obesity by Educating Parents and Caregivers of 3 to 5 Year-old Children
Reaching children at an early age is key in fighting childhood obesity. Dr. William Sears has been a leader in childcare and now obesity prevention.
/Nutrition PR News/ - BUENA PARK, CA, November 18, 2007 - Parents and caregivers attending their first Dr. Sears' LEAN Start Program this month will be learning how to prevent their young children from becoming overweight or obese and as a result raise healthy kids. LEAN stands for lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition. The six week program sponsored by the Orange County Children and Family Commission and promoted by the Boys and Girls Club of Buena Park, is one of ten programs launching within the next few weeks. Developed by the world-renowned pediatrician Dr. William Sears, and exercise physiologists, Sean Foy and Arlene Turner, the program took four years to develop and test. This is the second LEAN program; the first, LEAN Kids, was designed for older children ages 6 to 18, receiving accolades from government and corporate entities.
With workbooks in-hand, parents and caregivers begin each lesson by watching the LEAN Start video with an introduction and lesson from Dr. Sears. LEAN lessons are reinforced by humorous sitcom like vignettes with actors staring in roles such as "Mr. High Fructose Corn Syrup" and ace reporter "Slim Downs." Led by a LEAN Coach in a casual classroom setting, group discussions follow the video where participants are then encouraged to share insights and key learnings.
The LEAN program provides easy to understand instruction and tools for adults to deploy at home with their children in tandem with the LEAN Start Family Fun Book. As an example, the Traffic-Light-Eating lesson provides parents and caregivers with the tools to help children associate certain food groups with the green, yellow, and red colors of a traffic light. If a food is high in fat and calories it would be a "red light" food, hence the LEAN child is taught to "stop and think" about this choice and is compelled to make a healthier choice.
As the hour-long session continues, participants run scissors through newspaper grocery ads where they match the advertised foods with the corresponding traffic light color. At the end of the session, participants feast on recently created and tasty healthy snacks. Subsequent lessons tackle subjects such as "The Skinny on Fat" and "Power Up with Protein and Play."
"The LEAN program shapes young tastes while teaching children to move and get healthy at an age they are most able to learn" comments Dr. Sears. "By empowering parents to set the example, the children AND the entire family benefit."
Beyond the role of prevention, the LEAN program plays a pivotal role in improving the health of young children already at risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1994 to 2004, the number of overweight children, ages 2 to 5, grew an astounding 93% to 13.9%; the most percentage increase than any other age group of children. Becoming overweight as a child can lead to a wide array of health problems during childhood and later in life, including, heart disease and type II diabetes. Children who are overweight or obese as are much more likely to be overweight or obese as adults.
William Sears, M.D. practices pediatrics in partnership with his three pediatrician sons in San Clemente, CA. Dr. Sears received his pediatric training at Harvard Medical School's Children's Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He is the author of more than 35 books on childcare and nutrition, and he has shared his expertise in more than 100 television programs including: Dr. Phil, Oprah, Dateline, 20/20 and Good Morning America where he is often referred to as "America's Pediatrician."
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Press Release Contact Information:
Bob Hodgin
The LEAN Group LLC
Managing Partner
4833 Front Street, Suite B-232
Castle Rock, CO
USA 80104
Voice: 3032428411
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