New program provides education to decrease obesity Published June 18, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- This story is part of a series about the "Health care to Health" initiative. In an effort to prevent childhood obesity, the 375th Medical Group has a new initiative called "5210 Let's Go." "The 5210 Let's Go program is a two-session adult workshop designed to teach parents how to promote a healthy lifestyle for their children," said Julie Pena, health promotion educator and instructor. "Today children are less active, eat unhealthier, and spend more time watching TV, playing videos games and on cell phones than in years past. This class teaches parents how to break that cycle, gives them helpful materials, and new ideas to keep their kids healthy and active." The class curriculum consists of five lessons: encourage healthy lifestyle and avoid food rewards; how to make healthy food choices; how to decrease screen time and consequences of inactivity; choose to be active; and healthy drink choices. 5210 stands for 5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily, 2 hours or less of screen time daily, 1 hour or more of physical activity daily and 0 sugary drinks. According to Pena, Scott Air Force Base was chosen as the first base of six total bases to kick off this initiative. "The class was designed for parents who would like to take steps to prevent their child from becoming obese, as well as for those who have been told by providers that their child is in that overweight range," she said. "When the children go in for a checkup or school physical and the physician notices signs, he or she puts the parent in for a referral to my class. It is important to note, however, that any parent can attend a class even without a referral." At the beginning of the class participants take a pre-test and after the second and final class they are sent a post-test a few weeks later to measure their increased knowledge and behavior change. "When it comes to encouraging physical activity, some children are not interested in team sports and parents are at a loss for ideas of other things their children can do," said Pena. "Also children with special needs are sometimes not interested in being physically active and have more interest in screen time. Alfred Bromley, the Scott exercise physiologist, was brought in as a guest speaker to provide additional information and suggestions for these families." Pena has also taught sessions to the child care providers at the Childhood Development Centers, or CDC, and at the Family Childcare Agency. Maria Sullivan, CDC trainer and curriculum specialist, stated that the Air Force educators have always promoted best practices for children Air Force wide in all our Child Development and Youth Programs. "We saw an opportunity to attend and participate with our parents in the 5210 Let's Go program because our teachers do play an important role in helping to develop healthy eating and physical activity habits in our young children," said Sullivan. "This program has reinforced what is needed to keep our children at a healthy weight. After attending the class, I have the employees make goals based on the topic of the day." According to Sullivan, this training correlates with what Air Force regulations say Child Development Centers must teach children. "The Scott CDC already implements some of the ideas taught in the 5210 training, for example, we do not serve processed food and we give the children a certain amount of time for physical activity." The next 5210 Let's Go class is June 24 from 2-3 p.m. in the Airman and Family Readiness Center. All parents are invited to attend. To register contact Julie Pena at 256-7085.