NHLBI Newsletter - Spring 2006

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Spring is in the air and We Can! programs are blossoming with exciting activities for youth and parents. These new opportunities reflect what
We Can! is all about – teaching parents and kids to make simple, easy changes for a healthier family lifestyle. One parent participant shared with us how the program inspired a recent afternoon. While she was preparing dinner she heard her daughters yelling and cheering in the basement. After realizing they were actually singing and dancing, she set a few rules to control the noise level, and then took extra steps to support healthy activity by creating a basement dance club, complete with a few strands of colored lights, inexpensive mini disco balls and a mirror. The girls could then enjoy their dinner after 30-45 minutes of non-stop dancing! It’s all about being aware and seizing opportunities to make activity fun. Please share your stories with us!

We Can! programs are growing and evolving with exciting and easy-to-do activities for youth and parents across the United States! The program has more than doubled in size since the June 2005 launch. The diversity of We Can! sites attests to the program’s turn-key nature and adaptability. Over 80 community site organizations in 31 states have adopted the program, including parks and recreation departments, hospitals, health departments, USDA Cooperative Extension Service offices, YMCA centers, obesity prevention coalitions, school districts, university nutrition departments, and faith-based organizations. Through the words of Rosemary Marnocha, a caregiver from South Bend, Indiana, “We Can! was a wonderful event. Even in the pouring-down rain, so many kids and their families participated! My two grandsons, ages 9 and 10, participated and next year my granddaughter age 7 will join in. My oldest grandson really trained hard and went from size 14 to a size 10 (where he should be). This is important to prevent childhood diabetes and obesity, I believe. So this is a very good thing for our children. Thanks.”

We Can! is currently being implemented by 21 hospitals and health systems, 11 of which joined through the We Can! partnership with Spirit of Women, a national network for women’s health with over 165 member hospitals. Spirit of Women wove We Can! into their new Family Spirit program as the nutrition, physical activity and screen-time program components for parents and youth. “It is challenging for hospitals and physicians to find easy, fun, and unique ways to present nutrition information, and We Can! does just that!” said Tanya Abreau, president of Spirit of Women.

South Bend Mayor 's Office Partners with We Can!
The South Bend, Indiana Park and Recreation Department, a We Can! Intensive Site, has teamed with the Mayor’s City Employee Wellness Program to address the challenge of reaching busy parents with health messages. The program has already recruited over 72 percent of their work force (950 employees!) City employee participants receive initial health screenings and have the opportunity to sign up for a We Can! parent program to learn the basics of energy balance and improve their family’s health. Learn more about the South Bend site.

Benton Partners Promote and Inform
To commemorate National TV-Turnoff Week (April 24-30, 2006) the Benton County Healthy Weight and Lifestyle Coalition, a We Can! Intensive Site, spoke with parents at the local library about the effects of too much TV. Partner libraries created a summer reading list for teens on nutrition and physical activity. In addition, Good Samaritan Hospital and Comcast Spotlight™ collaborated to produce a PSA that now promotes multiple We Can! events on the Family Channel, the Hallmark Channel, and Oxygen Network.


	Turn off the TV and go for a walk! Limit TV or sedentary time to no more than 2 hours per day.

	How Communities can get involved
	How Organizations can get involved
	Visit http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov
	Call 1-866-35-WECAN

We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) is a national health education campaign from the National Institutes of Health that provides activities and programs to help prevent childhood obesity in children ages 8-13. The program informs parents and caregivers in home and community settings to encourage improved nutritional choices, increased physical activity, and reduced screen time in their families.

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