Destination health education: An interdisciplinary path to low-literacy, culturally sensitive materials

According to a February 2007 report by Stanford University, the last decade has seen a decline in physical activity and a rise in sedentary activities among young people. Not only does fitness play a critical role in helping children control weight and in supporting their healthy development, but it also helps improve quality of life, reduces stress and anxiety, and assists with mood management. Studies even show that physical activity is associated with improved performance in school. Teaching children to participate in regular physical fitness at a young age helps increase the likelihood that they will remain active as adults.

The Children's Health Fund (CHF) developed Think Healthy! to highlight nutrition and fitness by emphasizing a mind-body approach to healthy lifestyle. The program covers the cyclical nature of mental health and healthy eating habits in health education brochures targeting middle-school aged children and their caregivers.

The program was developed by a unique multi-disciplinary team of clinicians affiliated with CHF's National Network - providing comprehensive health care to medically underserved children in geographically and ethnically diverse urban and rural communities. This broad-based team includes nurse practitioners, a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist, cultural anthropologist, and public health professional. Together they work to ensure widely applicable content for an economically and culturally varied audience. All materials are produced at or below 5th grade reading level, in accordance with low-literacy writing and design conventions.

This presentation will take participants through the process of obtaining funding, assembling a team, developing and evaluating materials