Florida Hospital Tips off New Year With a "HIP" Program

Florida Children's Hospital and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation Tip off New Year With a "HIP" Program

Program Aimed at Children to Get Them Fit and Healthy

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 2, 2008 - From January 3 - 9 Florida Children's Hospital and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, are looking for children and their parents to join the HIP (Health Intervention and Prevention) Program.  HIP is designed to address the issue of childhood obesity through health and wellness education, including teaching healthy lifestyle habits to children and their families.

HIP is broken down into15 fun-filled and knowledge-packed weekly evening sessions, teaching children and their 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 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!

According to the CDC, if the current obesity trend is not reversed, it will soon become the nation's #1 cause of preventable death.  Florida Children's Hospital sees the devastating consequences firsthand.  The hospital admits one child a week with an obesity-related illness, such as heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. In order to address the mushrooming childhood obesity epidemic, the entire community must take action. That's why Florida Children's Hospital and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation have teamed up to encourage hundreds of Central Floridians to jump into the New Year with a healthier lifestyle through the HIP Program. 

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

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