MHP offers Weight Management Program for Kids

Mahaska Health Partnership

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Does your child need to have confidence in the food choices he or she makes? Then Create Your Weight with MHP’s Youth STEP (Start to Eat Properly) Program will give you the tools you need.

According to MHP Registered Dietitian Lea Rice, Create Your Weight is a 10-week youth weight management program designed from evidence-based nutrition guidelines from The American Dietetic Association. Your family will learn to make healthy choices that benefit the entire household.

“This is a proven weight management program designed specifically for families with children and adolescents, who have unique nutritional needs,” Rice said. “It encompasses nutrition education, physical activity and the role of behavior therapy in weight reduction and life-long weight management.”

Nutrition education focuses on basic nutrition, meal planning, portion sizes, snacking, grocery shopping and dining outside the home. Physical activity focuses on the activity pyramid and exercise requirements for children. Behavior therapy focuses on building a child’s self-esteem, family involvement and understanding hunger and satisfaction or fullness.

If you would like to learn more about MHP’s program to teach you and your child how to develop a healthy lifestyle for life, including maintaining a healthy weight, please join MHP Registered Dietitian Lea Rice for a free introductory session on Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Cedar Bluff Learning Center (Entrance #3) on MHP’s campus. Registration is required.

For more information or to register for the program, please contact Rice at 641-672-3303 or visit mahaskahealth.org.