Parent and child unpacking healthy groceries

Healthy Weight and Your Child: Empowering Families to Live Healthier

A family-based, evidence-based program that supports children with obesity through nutrition education, physical activity, and guided sessions over four months to build healthier habits and reach a healthy weight.

Boy and mom is grocery storeProgram Overview

Healthy Weight and Your Child is an evidence-based lifestyle change intervention designed to address childhood obesity by empowering children and families through education, healthy eating and physical activity. It is geared toward the whole family, engaging children and adults in nutrition education and physical activity to elicit positive change and to help families learn skills to live a healthier lifestyle long-term.

The program kicks off with an information session for families and consists of 25 two-hour sessions delivered over four months. Each session involves both child and adult in facilitated activities, group discussion and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The Healthy Weight and Your Child curriculum is adapted from the most widely disseminated and extensively evaluated child weight management program in the world (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do-IT—MEND). Studies have shown the program model is effective in reducing a child’s body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, reducing sedentary behaviors, increasing physical activity and improving self-esteem.

Why Family-Based?

The program is designed with the whole family in mind, engaging a child and adult in education, healthy eating and physical activity to elicit positive change and help families learn skills to live a healthier lifestyle long-term. Evidence shows that child weight-management programs are more effective when the whole family is involved and committed to adopting healthier habits.

To Qualify, A Child Must: 

  • Be 7-13 years old
  • Carry excess weight (BMI in the 95th percentile or higher)
  • Receive clearance from a provider to participate in physical activity
  • Have an adult attend ALL sessions with them

By the Numbers

  • 2,283

    Number of children enrolled

  • 66.3%

    Average participant attendance (sessions 1-20)

  • 78%

    Percentage of children who reduced their BMI or slowed their gain

  • 32

    Number of states delivering the program

  • 107

    Number of Y associations offering the program

  • 85

    Number of program sites (78% Y Sites, 22% Non-Y Sites)

Find A Program Near You

Connect with your local Y to find a Healthy Weight and Your Child program in your community.

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