Federal health agencies announced a national education campaign last week to encourage improved eating habits in children ages 8 to 13.
More information on Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition is available from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The “We Can!” program is intended to build on new research showing that intervention can significantly improve children’s dietary habits. A study published online last week in the journal Pediatrics reported that 8- to 10-year-olds who were enrolled in a behaviorally oriented nutrition program with their parents, and were taught to follow a healthful diet, adopted “significantly better” eating habits after three years than peers who received only general nutritional information.
The campaign is being led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and several branches of the National Institutes of Health. It classifies “go” foods, which are healthful; “whoa” foods, high in fat and sugar; and “go slow” foods, which should be eaten just a few times a week.
