FAN4Kids Expansion – Fighting Childhood Obesity

More about FAN4Kids Expansion – Fighting Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is among the most prevalent nutritional diseases in the US. Today’s children have become victims of aggressive junk food advertising, a culture that embraces "super-sizing" and technologies that capture them as sedentary participants. As a result, 35% of elementary schoolchildren nationwide are considered overweight or obese. In low-income, urban minority communities the problem is more acute:

The most accessible alimentary options here are mainly pre-packaged fast foods. The children therefore ingest more low-nutrient, high-fat, and high-calorie foods than ever before, and, to make matters worse, exert far less energy. School gyms are converted into classrooms due to overcrowding, and outdoor play areas are nonexistent, unusable or even dangerous. Moreover, many public schools lack the funding to place much emphasis on sports and student fitness.

Our project therefore combines fitness with nutrition education to more efficiently and sustainably reverse this disturbing trend in obesity and poor health. FAN4Kids exposes the highly-affected communities to creative possibilities for staying active and healthy. We especially focus on games, exercises and non-traditional sports that don’t require much space, nor do they exclude or intimidate children. Instead, our children are engaged to move, and learn skills that give them the confidence to “play”.