Overview

Overview

How to promote healthy eating habits in your children.

Healthy eating and physical activity habits are key to your child's well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little can lead to childhood obesity resulting in excess weight and related health problems that can follow children into their adult years. You can take an active role in helping your child— and your whole family— develop healthy eating and physical activity habits that can last for a lifetime. Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children’s have resources available to parents and kids to keep them healthy, including specialists, community and school based programs, and information to help you make healthy choices at meal time.

Programs

Programs

BeWell Kids Clinic

Bringing together a comprehensive team of physicians, researchers and healthcare professionals with expert knowledge in childhood obesity, the BeWell Kids Clinic works with children and their families to develop strategies and create plans for a healthy lifestyle change.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with the BeWell Kids Clinic team, please call 216.444.KIDS (5437).

Healthy Strides for Kids

Healthy Strides for Kids combines exercise and learning in a fun environment. During the warmer months, we meet at Ed Walsh Park in Mentor, and during the colder months we meet at Mentor Heisley Racquet & Fitness Club. Events take place on Tuesdays from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. and consist of a walk/run, preceded by a brief informative talk by Cleveland Clinic Children's Pediatrician, Randall Huff, DO, and other caregivers. Some topics addressed include better nutrition, increased exercise, and respecting your body.

The events are open to all children ages 9 - 14 and their parents and are FREE to attend. No registration is required.

For more information please call, 216.312.5460 or email jameysj@ccf.org.

Community

Community

5 to Go

Working with the local community and schools on public health programs:

Food is Knowledge

For children enrolled in early childhood centers through 1st grades, this program teaches children about healthy eating in a fun way through science, language arts, math, culture and hospitality. For more information, go to clevelandclinic.org/5togo.

BMI

Cleveland Clinic and the First Ring Superintendents’ Collaborative (FRSC) partnered in 2008 to examine childhood obesity rates in Northeast Ohio. During the 2013-2014 school year, 14,016 children in kindergarten, third, fifth, and ninth grades were screened for Body Mass Index (BMI) in 16 Cleveland-area suburban, public school districts. The research found that 16.0% of students were overweight and 18.6% of students were obese. While obesity rates have remained stagnant over the past five years, decreases were noted for students in the fifth grade.

Education

Education