MEND Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It! WHAT IS MEND? A - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

MEND

Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It!

WHAT IS MEND?

• A family-based healthy lifestyle program for families with children

aged 7-13 who have an unhealthy BMI

• Practical demonstrations, games and tips about healthy foods, label

reading and portion sizes are shared with the families.

• Parents/caregivers join their children in each session to learn about

how to choose healthier foods and spend more time being physically active.

• The children are provided fun physical activity sessions in a safe,

non-judgmental environment.

• Meets twice a week for ten weeks

MEND in Mississippi and It’s Partnerships

• COMMIT - Childhood Obesity Management with MEND Implementation

Teams

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Association of

Community Health Centers (NACHC) Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (+3 other states) Delta Health Center (+3

• ther CHC’s
• CHCAMS provided a $7,000 grant per CHC and support
• Curriculum, handouts, training, MEND kits consisting of t-shirts, water

bottles, backpacks, equipment for CATCH activities

The Curriculum

• Developed by Healthy Weight Partnership, Inc, a leading

provider of child and family weight management programs

• Largest and most extensively evaluated child weight

management program in the world.

• 31 Sessions delivered over ten weeks
• Family sessions, parent sessions, exercise sessions (CATCH)

for kids

Scientific Evaluation and Research

• Independent health economic and clinical studies show that MEND 7-13 is

cost-effective and reduces BMI and waist circumference, thereby enabling children with overweight and obesity to reach and maintain a healthier weight.

• Additional health and psychosocial benefits include increased physical

activity levels and cardiovascular fitness, reduced sedentary behaviors, improved dietary intake and raised self-esteem and body image.

• Several US and Canadian studies have taken place, including a CDC-funded

Child Obesity Research Demonstration Study (RCT) in Texas.

• Thirty-five peer-reviewed publications have documented positive
• utcomes following MEND programs.

Delta Health Center’s Resources

Staff Time and Effort

• Program Leader
• Program Assistant (2)
• Mind and Nutrition Leader
• Exercise Leader
• Pediatrician and nurse

Space

Cohort 2 Data

Participant 1 2 3 4 Start Weight 174 136 212 96 End Weight 186 141 213 75 BMI Start 39.9 37.1 37.0 21.3 BMI Finish 39.9 36.3 36.7 19.5 Recovery HR 1 149 136 144 120 Recovery HR 2 141 136 168 130 Sessions 8 12 13 12

Anecdotal Outcomes

KIDS: “I learned that even though fruits are healthy, they still have sugar in them.”

• “My favorite part were the stretches, and I learned not to be rude to other kids.”
• “I liked the running!”
• “My favorite part was the coordination games, like Sharks and Sardines.”

PARENTS: “The biggest change that I have made at home is reading nutrition labels. MEND taught me to pay attention to what I’m buying.”

• “I’m so glad we got to participate in this program- I learned the facts behind the saying

“you are what you eat!””

• “I have been able to learn how to buy better groceries, which allowed me to start

planning healthier meals for my family.”

Challenges

• Recruitment and retention
• Participants arriving late
• Competing demands of staff time and effort
• Transportation

Leveraging MEND

• Health and Wellness Center
• Pediatric Weight Management Program – Massachusetts

General

Robin Boyles Chief Program Planning and Development Officer

Delta Health Center 702 Martin Luther King Road Mound Bayou, MS 38762 662-741-8888 (office) rboyles@deltahealthcenter.org www.deltahealthcenter.org

L to R: Kirsten Westerfield, Joyce Roundtree-McCoy, Alex Cummins, Ashley Taylor, Laura Grant