Partnership Plans Program to Help Families Get Healthy

The Washington, DC-based International Food Information Council (IFIC) is planning a summer 2002 launch of ACTIVATE, its prevention-oriented communication program aimed at children ages 9 to 12, dubbed “tweens,” and their influencers: parents, teachers, and others.

ACTIVATE’s overall goal is to “help families work together towards achieving healthy lifestyles,” said Michael Shirreffs, Associate Director of Nutrition at IFIC. The program grew out of a concern over the rising trends in overweight and obesity in the U.S., where 61 percent of the adult population is overweight or obese and 25 percent of children are overweight.

ACTIVATE is a project of the IFIC Foundation, IFIC’s educational arm, and the International Life Sciences Institute Physical Activity and Nutrition (ILSI PAN) program, in partnership with the American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and National Recreation and Park Association. ACTIVATE is the program’s working title; when launched to the public, the name may change.

"ACTIVATE addresses physical activity, nutrition, family dynamics, and community dynamics."

ACTIVATE will include a website, a school-based physical activity component, and a community or grassroots component. The website will feature personalized content delivery to visitors. This means that the more visits a person makes, the more information the site captures about that person’s interests and needs. For example, a parent who has combed the site looking for quick and easy recipes might be greeted with “you might be interested in these new simple meal ideas” upon her next visit.

In addition to nutrition and physical activity information, the website will suggest ways that parents can interact with their children. Parents will also be able to ask questions on-line of experts in family communications. For kids, the site will offer games, quizzes, and fun facts about health and physical activity.

U.S. Census Bureau 2000 statistics reveal that Internet usage is higher among white and Asian children than black and Hispanic children. Internet use is also higher among children living in higher income homes. To ensure that ACTIVATE’s messages reach children of all racial/ethnic groups and income levels, the program will develop other information tools such as printed materials or a toll-free number.

The physical activity component is a spin-off of ILSI PAN’s TAKE 10!™ program, which builds 10 minutes of physical activity into school subject lessons, such as doing jumping jacks while reciting multiplication tables. This component will be aimed at middle school students.

The ACTIVATE program will also offer a community or grassroots component. Partner National Recreation and Park Association will play a key role in this element, which is not yet fully developed.

ACTIVATE “is a consumer research-based program,” said Shirreffs, describing the program’s strengths. “We researched what kids and parents think, feel, need, and want.” That research included focus groups, ethnographic studies looking at culture and behavior in the home, and one-on-one interviews.

“Secondly, it is a comprehensive program,” he added. “It addresses physical activity, nutrition, family dynamics, and community dynamics. It is a program in which many disciplines work together.” This is important because research has shown that battling obesity and building healthier eating and physical activity habits takes a multi-pronged approach.

For more information on locating background research findings or a link to the ACTIVATE website, visit IFIC on-line at www.IFIC.org. s