Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Peer Pressure to Battle Obesity

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Suggest your 13-year-old  shut down the X-box and exercise, or drink a glass of milk instead of Mountain Dew and you’re in for a battle.

But if the same suggestions come from one of his friends, it’s an entirely different story. For young teens, peer pressure is everything.  

That was the idea behind the Super-Power Summit — a youth wellness initiative that we managed for the Midwest Dairy Council, the Iowa Department of Education’s Team Nutrition Program and Iowa State University Extension for Families and 4H.

We brought together more than 240 middle school students from 40 schools throughout the state to motivate them to lead the battle against obesity by selling their peers on the idea that they need to eat more nutritious foods and engage in at least an hour of physical activity per day.

The day-long summit feature inspiring speakers such as Charlie Wittmack, who climbed to the top of Mount Everest, and Tim Dwight, an All-American from the University of Iowa who went on to become a leading kick returner in the NFL.

The event also featured a street marketing events that engaged the downtown lunch crowd with physical activities and important messages about eating healthy.

Not only did all of the students rate the event as worthwhile and enjoyable, all of the teachers who accompanied them stated the event will help them activate a youth-led wellness initiative at their schools. In the battle against child obesity, that’s an encouraging first step.

Posted By Bill Brewer at 11:00  Leave Us a Comment