With the number of obese children growing rapidly in the United States, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation initiated consumer research to determine how best to help them achieve and maintain a healthy weight. A partnership of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Dietetic Association, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, the International Life Sciences Institute Center for Health Promotion, and the National Recreation and Park Association created a consumer communications outreach program to deliver information to children and their families to assist them in achieving healthy lifestyles through regular physical activity and good nutrition. This partnership is called ACTIVATE. ACTIVATE is a program that is targeted to kids and their families at home, in school, and in the community. Before developing this type of program, we specifically needed to know how kids, their parents and teachers were thinking and feeling when it comes to food, physical activity, and health. We also wanted to know what messages would effectively reach children and their parents, and how these messages should be delivered to them.
In 2000, we conducted extensive qualitative research on children, their parents and teachers through focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and ethnographic studies. The information collected has proved to be a unique and valuable asset for ACTIVATE and was used as a key educational resource for developing the Kidnetic.com content.
What did kids and their parents tell us?
- Both parents and kids associate obesity more with food than physical activity
- Kids aren’t sure what “being fit” means
- Both kids and parents understand that weight is related to performance and appearance but not health
- The term “healthy” makes children think about negative images of foods they are “forced” to eat such as fruits and vegetables and means they can’t enjoy their favorite foods
- Kids want their parents to be involved, but not too involved in their weight issues
- Sometimes parents feel like they don’t know how to talk to their kids about weight
Kids and parents told us it’s important to:
- Be positive with messages
- Make the messages specific and manageable
- Provide the payoff in the message
- Talk about fun when talking about food
Directly from the kids’ mouth:
“If I start watching what I eat and exercising more to get in better shape, I’ll want to see a difference right away.”
“I’m very sensitive about the way I look as it is, and I don’t need my parents telling me I’m going to get fat or out of shape if I don’t exercise more or watch what I eat.”
Parents told us what they need:
“Changing how my child eats and exercises isn’t going to happen overnight. But children need instant gratification. If they’re going to stick with it, they’re going to need incentives along the way.”
“My kids are at a very rough age in life. They’re becoming more and more concerned about their appearance, so they don’t need me telling them they should watch their weight or exercise more.”
Through this research, we found that both kids and their parents have common interests but different information needs regarding nutrition. Kids need nutrition information to be “fun”, “cool”, and “not boring”; while their parents need information that is quick, easy to use, and credible. Parents also told us that the messages that they can use must address self-esteem, behavior, parenting, family dynamics, and peer relations.
One project of ACTIVATE delivers health and nutrition information via the Web. Qualitative research told us to reach kids where they are and research showed 67% of households with school aged kids have computer/ Internet access. Therefore, a web site became the logical choice step.
INTRODUCING……WWW.KIDNETIC.COM
Kidnetic.com is a healthy eating and active living web site designed for kids ages 9-12 and their families. Kidnetic.com is a resource designed to inspire kids and their families to move toward healthier lifestyles. It is also a great resource for health professionals and educators to use when working with their patients and students.
Kidnetic.com is a kid-friendly web site to help children understand the fundamentals of nutrition by emphasizing energy balance, promoting physical activity, and addressing moderation in portion sizes while incorporating fun and humor. Kids who enjoy playing hard and having fun will especially enjoy this site. There are lots of games and activities that can be played alone or with friends to help educate and motivate children while on the computer. The best part about the site is that kids learn and are physically active while on the computer—without even knowing it!
Here’s a list of some of the fun and exciting things kids can do!
- Post a message in Shout Out to let everyone know what’s on their mind
- Try making fun Kidnetic.com recipes like “Brewed Monkey Brain Stew” or “Groovy Grape Ape”
- Use the Kidnector to send a virtual message to their parents
- Adopt a Busy Buddy! It lives on the desktop and interacts with Kidnetic.com
- Tons of “Wet Head” games to play! Or kids can even make up their own “Wet Head” game!
Not only does Kidnetic.com provide great games and information to keep kids active and learn to eat healthier, but it also has a special “Bright Papers” section just for parents, packed with information for every parent with any question on nutrition or physical activity. Since its launch, 1.6 million visitors have explored the Web site. Recently, Kidnetic.com was rated “Among the Best” by Tufts Nutrition Navigator. Kidnetic.com also has over 600 links from health/government/community organizations. Since Kidnetic.com premiered on the internet, health professionals and educators frequently ask, “How can we use this website in our educational setting?”
INTRODUCING……Kidnetic.com Leader’s Guide for Healthy Eating & Active Living for Kids & Families
In response to this call for innovative educational resources, ACTIVATE developed the Kidnetic.com Leader’s Guide to Healthy Eating & Active Living for Kids & Families. The Leader's Guide captured material from Kidnetic.com and reformatted that same energy into 13 modules, appropriate for use in community based health education programs. The Leader’s Guide was designed as a resource, with the ability to adapt to a variety of educational settings. For example, one module can be chosen as a stand-alone activity, or all 13 modules can be taught in sequence as a comprehensive health education program. Best of all, the Leader’s Guide is on-line and easily accessed by downloading it at no cost from the IFIC Foundation website at www.ific.org/kidnetic.
We encourage kids and parents to visit www.kidnetic.com and learn about healthy eating and active living. Health professionals should check out www.ific.org/kidnetic and learn more about incorporating the Leader’s Guide and Kidnetic.com resources into your educational setting.
