Support materials include posters, slogan, Power Panther costumes and other materials. Messages developed for the campaign are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid
The four basic themes of the program include:
*Breakfast, "Be a Role Model: Eat Breakfast with Kids" and "Power Up with Breakfast"
*Snacks: "Grab Quick and Easy Snacks"
*Balance: "Balance Your Day with Food and Play"
*Physical Activity: "Move More. Sit Less" and "Make Family Time an Active Time"
The goals of the program are to encourage families to adopt behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid, communicate behavioral and motivational nutrition education and physical activity messages to children and caregivers and foster positive behavior change to promote nutrition and health, and reduce the risk for obesity and chronic diseases.
The target audience for the campaign is the diverse population of preschool and school-aged children participating or eligible to participate in FNS nutrition assistance programs and their caregivers - which includes parents, guardians, child care and after school providers and teachers.
The slogan "Eat Smart. Play Hard." is designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in children in an effort to promote well-being, as well as curb the prevalence of diet-related health problems.
Only 2 percent of children in this country meet all the recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid and 16 percent do not meet any. Less than 20 percent eat the recommended serving of vegetables; about 25 percent eat the recommended serving of grains;
Nutrition education can improve diets, when behavior change is the focus and science-based educational strategies are used to design interventions that target behavior changes.
This new program is designed to motivate children and their caregivers to make positive changes in eating and physical activity behaviors in order to improve long-term health and reduce the risk of developing diet- and obesity-related diseases such as heart disease.
Information used in this story was provided by the USDA. For more information, go to www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhard or contact the Lincoln County Health Department at 606-365-3106.
