The director of the Heisey is passionate about helping decrease childhood obesity and diabetes. The rapid increase in overweight among children and adolescents is generating widespread concern. Since the 1970s, the prevalence of overweight children have more than doubled for preschoolers ages 2-5 and adolescents ages 12-19, and more than tripled for children 6-11 years. Nearly one-third of children and adolescents, of both sexes, aged 6-19 years (31.0%) are considered to be either at risk for overweight or overweight.
The Heisey is researching the best approach to improve the health of the youth within our community. We are looking to develop a program that gives parents, caregivers, and the entire community a way to help children ages 5-18 years old, stay at a healthy weight. By focusing on promoting three key behaviors of improvement, food choices, increasing physical activity, and parent participation, we will be able to empower youth to lead healthier lives.
The Heisey would like to find other organizations to partner in this project. We need to act now to prevent obesity and diabetes for the youth in our community. We believe it is preventable.