Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program
The Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program (HELP) was administered by California Hospital Medical Center, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Huntington Hospital, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and the National Health Foundation. It was designed to reduce obesity by educating children and families about long-term healthy eating habits and the importance of physical activities. Over three years, HELP provided more than 1,500 children and their parents with medical and behavioral assessments, educational workshops, telephone follow-ups, and opportunities for physical activity.
Program outcomes centered on changes in BMI z-scores so that participants of different ages and genders could be compared. Overall, HELP participants experienced BMI z-score reductions of 0.16 (p<0.001), which are associated with favorable clinical outcomes such as decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and an increase in HDL cholesterol and aerobic fitness1. Because of the success of the project a replication package is being developed.
To learn more about this disease click here.
Enhanced HELP
Enhanced HELP expanded the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program (HELP) by offering additional workshops and support groups to families who completed the original HELP. Four of the five organizations that developed HELP California Hospital Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Huntington Hospital, and the National Health Foundation, collaborated on this program. As it did for HELP, the National Health Foundation created an online data collection and reporting system to track the families’ long-term progress. The data show that many of the parents and children enrolled in HELP were able to maintain Body Mass Indices (BMI) reductions over the course of the program or longer. The organizations that participated in this program were pleased to aid community members in maintaining long-term, positive lifestyle changes.
To learn more about this disease click here.
1
Kirk, S., Zeller, M., Claytor, R., Santangelo, M., Khoury, P., & Daniels, S. R.(2005). The relationship of health outcomes to improvement in BMI in children and adolescents. Obesity Research, 13, 876-882.