New Program To Help Develop Healthier Lifestyles in Youth

A 12-week program to educate children in Mackinac County about healthy lifestyles and weight control will soon be offered at Mackinac Straits Hospital.

"Our focus is not necessarily for children to lose weight, but to adopt healthy lifestyles and avoid chronic health problems," said nurse practitioner Carol Norman, who will coordinate the program here.

She hopes to have it started this month.

Cost to participate in the 12- week program will be $100, although a sliding fee scale will be based on family income, as well.

Students at Cedarville, St. Ignace, and on Mackinac Island were weighed and measured by the hospital earlier this winter and the information was compared to national weight and height averages published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth were tested from kindergarten to eighth grade, and on Mackinac Island, tests included the entire student body. Of the 291 students scanned from those three schools, 53 students were identified as being either overweight or potentially overweight.

Six students have signed up for a second screening, that includes assessing exercise capabilities, eating habits, and social activities. They are eligible for assisted funding for the program.

Students will dedicate two hours, one evening a week, to physical activities and classroom work, said Ms. Norman. The day of classes will depend on the availability of the instructors.

Mackinac Straits Hospital is participating in the program with Helen Newberry Joy Hospital and Marquette General Hospital for a "Shaping Our Childrens' Future" federal grant to promote healthy eating and exercise and to prevent Type II diabetes, connected to obesity in youths.

Ms. Norman, the local Mackinac County site coordinator for the program, is working with Mary Swiderski-Pemble, a nutrition specialist from Michigan State University Extension, and exercise instructor Renee Vonderwerth, both of St. Ignace.

The program is funded by a three-year federal grant, where each hospital was given $41,600 to provide health education programs. This is the first year Mackinac Straits Hospital is conducting a healthy lifestyles program for children coping with obesity. The grant and registration fees will cover the costs for cardiologists, fitness specialists, and consultants, and help pay for diet information, laboratory testing, and brochure development, said Ms. Norman.