The York Hospital Family Medicine residency program in York, PA, is one of nine recipients of the 2011-2012 AIM-HI Family Medicine Residency Program Childhood Obesity grant. Their program, Get Fit, Have Fun, highlights the success that a community-based healthy interventions program can have on the health of children and their families.
View pictures of the program, which are available on Flickr.
Medical resident Melissa Wisner, MD, one of the program’s co-leaders, said that the goal of the program is to establish healthy habits early. “We have a very high obesity rate in York,” said Wisner. “The number of kids who come in overweight is pretty extreme and is continuing into adulthood. Childhood is a time to intervene and help them before they become adults.”
The program is held one day a week at a local church. Four stations are available to promote physical activity among the participants: an obstacle course, a relay race, a game, and a sports station. The kids spend 15 minutes at each station before rotating to the next one.
The response from the community has been very positive. “The kids are coming, they are bringing their friends, they come back, and they are excited to be here,” said Wisner. “The parents like having a safe place for the kids to play.”
Pairing up with a community organization such as a church is key, according to Wisner. But it’s important not to overlook the simple things. “The kids really do want to do the healthier stuff, they just don’t know about it,” she said. “You just have to listen to the kids and adapt the program to their needs and wants.”
