Tamarac, FL—Youth Programs

Description

The Summer Shape Up camp program for children focused on heart-healthy eating and physical activity. The children learned what types of foods they should eat more and less often. They were also encouraged to bring healthy lunches to camp. Each week, informational flyers and brochures on heart-healthy eating were sent home with the children along with newsletters for parents that contained information on cardiovascular disease and nutrition. Throughout the summer, the children learned the proper techniques to do push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching exercises to increase their muscle strength and prevent injury. They also played CATCH games such as Pirates Treasure, Toe Tag, Musical Hula Hoops, Heart Alert; animal walk races; obstacle courses and run sprints. By the end of the summer, they were much more physically active than at the beginning. The children also participated in an intergenerational day at the Senior Center. The children did chair aerobics, Jazzercise, and played volleyball with the seniors. The children were able to see that the older people were still active and physically fit. The Fall into Fitness program for adolescents focused on physical activity and heart-healthy eating. The goal of the program was to educate teens on how to maintain a healthy heart through good eating habits and engaging in physical activity such as sit-ups, push-ups, weightlifting, and jogging or running. The teens learned the basic techniques of using fitness machines and equipment. As a precaution, they were taught a weightlifting routine that used lighter weights in the beginning. The importance of warming up before and after lifting weights was stressed throughout the program. Tips on aerobic exercise such as jogging in place for 5-10 minutes were also taught. In addition, the teens received presentations and materials on heart-healthy eating. Overall, the teens showed great improvement over the course of the program. They continued to stay active and enjoyed going to the fitness room to use the weights and machines.
 

Program Information

Name of program	Summer Shape Up	Fall Into Fitness
Program start and end date	6/23/2003 to 8/15/2003	9/8/2003 to 10/24/2003
Number of times program met per week	2	1
Number of participants (total)	30	12
Number of male participants	12	10
Number of female participants	18	2
Target group	Child	Adolescent
Program focus
Physical Activity
Heart-Healthy Eating
Location of activities
Camp		-
After School	-	-
Other	-	Teen Club
Materials used
Information Handout
Lesson	-	-
Activity
Menus	-	-
Other	-	-

Public Visibility

Partners

Partners who contributed to youth programs: