Florida Children's Hospital has a "HIP" New Program

Florida Children's Hospital has a "HIP" New Program to Keep Central Florida Kids Healthy

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 17, 2007 - One night a week in Parramore, a dozen children and their families get together, dance the cha-cha slide, participate in blindfold taste tests, and even cook up their own healthy meals.  This is all part of the new Health Intervention Program (HIP) at the Nap Ford Community School, created and funded by Florida Children's Hospital at Florida Hospital.  HIP is designed to address the issue of childhood obesity through health and wellness education, including teaching healthy lifestyle habits to students and their families at the school.  Students with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than the 85^th percentile were invited to join the program along with their families.

"As the obesity epidemic continues to threaten the health and well-being of our children, the HIP program at Nap Ford Community School demonstrates a real collaborative effort to address this growing problem," said Jennifer Porter-Smith, Ph. D., Nap Ford Community School executive director.  "The HIP program was created to address the unique needs of the community and includes the children, parents and the entire school in teaching how to make healthier choices and ultimately improve one's overall health."

HIP is broken down into12 fun-filled and knowledge-packed weekly evening sessions, teaching students and families how to eat and live healthier, more active lifestyles.  The sessions focus on whole-person health, and cover information such as nutrition, exercise, and even psychological barriers.  Sessions are interactive with activities and games like food bingo, fun exercises like cultural dancing and tag, and cooking lessons. There is even a healthy dinner served at each session!

"The childhood obesity epidemic continues to grow," said Kristin Duquaine, Florida Children's Hospital education and community development coordinator, who developed and implemented the program at Nap Ford Community School.  "In fact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight and in African-American children, the overweight and obesity rates are almost twice as high as they are for white children.  Programs such as HIP are needed to address obesity, as it is one of our most serious chronic health conditions facing children and families today."

The program is run by the HIP team made up of Nap Ford community school staff; Florida Children's Hospital neuro-psychologist, Michelle Dolske, MD; Florida Children's Hospital staff; Florida Hospital nutritionist, Sherri Flynt; and Hebni Nutrition Consultants, who specialize in healthy eating habits for African Americans.

Florida Children's Hospital is a 155 specialty bed, full-service facility served by nearly 60 Kids' Docs, the largest panel of pediatric specialists in Orlando, and a highly trained pediatric team of more than 600 employees.  The dedicated children's hospital delivers a complete range of pediatric health services to younger patients, who benefit from the expertise of specialized departments throughout Florida Hospital.  When construction is complete in 2010, Florida Children's Hospital will have 200 beds; private, family-centered pediatric rooms; a dedicated pediatric emergency department; an Advanced Center for Pediatric Surgery; destination pediatric programs including advanced surgery, oncology, neurosurgery, cardiology, transplant services, and full-service pediatrics; and an innovative health and obesity platform. 

For more information, please contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

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