(above) The Gateway Family YMCA offers Healthy Weight and Your Child, a family program designed to combat childhood obesity.
The Gateway Family YMCA Announces Healthy Weight and Your Child
Registration is ongoing for the upcoming Fall Session of programs
This Fall, The Gateway Family YMCA is launching the second session of Healthy Weight and Your Child, a family program designed to combat childhood obesity. The program is available through the Wellness Center Branch, 1000 Galloping Hill Road, Union. For more information or to register for the program, visit tgfymca.org or call 908-349-9622.
Healthy Weight and Your Child is based on Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do It! (MEND), the most widely disseminated and extensively evaluated child weight-management program in the world. Research on the program model has shown statistically significant reductions in body mass index, waist circumference, and sedentary activities, and improvements in physical activity and self-esteem at six months—results that were sustained at 12 months. The program is designed to support youth and families as they seek to achieve positive change including the following goals: a reduction in the child’s body mass index (BMI); the adoption of healthier eating habits by the family; an increase in daily physical activity; and improved self-esteem for participants.
“In response to this critical health care issue, Healthy Weight and Your Child (HWYC) is an evidence-based, weight-management program that seeks to empower children and families through education, healthy eating, and physical activity,” stated Krystal R. Canady, CEO, The Gateway Family YMCA. “The program’s goal is to elicit positive change and help families learn skills and behaviors that enable them to live a healthier lifestyle so that children enter adulthood at a healthy weight,” stated Melynda A. Mileski, EVP/COO, The Gateway Family YMCA.
Childhood Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. More than one third of children and teenagers ages two to 19 are obese or overweight, and that rate has tripled in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity can have a harmful effect on the body in several ways, putting children at high risk to develop cardiovascular disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma, joint problems, heartburn, and social and psychological problems. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, leading to more serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Through the leadership of trained Y staff, Healthy Weight and Your Child engages a child and adult as a pair so that, together, they can understand how the home environment and other factors influence choices that lead to a healthy weight. This small-group family program creates a safe, fun, and active environment where families have the opportunity to explore and adopt proven methods to living a healthier lifestyle
To learn more about Healthy Weight and Your Child at The Gateway Family YMCA, visit tgfymca.org.
