The Washington Mystics Foundation has teamed with the Saint Louis University Obesity Prevention Center on the creation of MIT, a unique intervention that brings together multiple community groups and businesses in assuring schools will have the resources to provide their students access to healthy foods, drinks, and physical activity.
Together, we address the epidemic of childhood obesity, which is due to an imbalance between food intake and activity. Children who are obese are:
- 12 times more likely to have elevated insulin levels, a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes;
- up to 4.5 times more likely to have hypertension, and report being stigmatized by peers.
- Nationally, 28.9% of children are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. In the local region, obesity prevalence is 32% (DC) [2]; 28% (VA) [3]; and 38% (Prince George’s County, MD).
Our pilot program will create and support school environments in which children can practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. MIT will be piloted with children attending schools in Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland; results of this program will be used to guide implementation of a nationwide program designed to prevent childhood obesity throughout the schools.
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