Kelsey-Seybold’s doctors and the Kelsey Research Foundation urge parents to help their children adopt healthy habits. Parents set the tone in a household by making healthy eating and regular exercise a rule as well as a practice.
If you model healthy habits, your children will be more likely to follow your example. In fact, research shows that weight loss programs that involve the entire family are more successful than those that only involve the child.
Here are some resources for the whole family:
USDA Announces MyPyramid for Kids Tools
A variety of graphic and educational tools are now available from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help educators teach children about nutrition and physical activity. MyPyramid for Kids is a kid-friendly version of the MyPyramid health guidance system that offers age-specific nutrition and physical activity recommendations based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
BAM! Body and Mind
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides tips for kids on how to stay true to themselves when faced with peer pressure.
EXCITE
The CDC encourages students to explore public health and epidemiology with this collection of teaching materials.
Tips for Parents
The American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Institutes of Health offer some recommendations for promoting physical activity, good health and nutrition.
Activity Pyramid
Children are curious about their body’s abilities and world around them, and it’s natural for them to want to move! One of the best ways we can care for our children is to engage this youthful energy into both structured and unstructured playtime everyday.
Healthy Eating
"If you keep food choices healthy, your child is more likely to eat healthy," says Kelsey-Seybold Dietitian Veronica Juarez, RD, LD. It’s that simple. Learn about the basics of a healthy diet and how to teach your children to make healthy choices away from home.
Pack a Healthy Lunch
Dr. Helene Sheena, a Kelsey-Seybold pediatrician at the West Clinic, offers some tips for helping your child pack a healthy lunch.
Quick Links
There are many organizations and activities all around Houston that can help your child get active. The Kelsey Research Foundation has compiled a list with links for further information.
Help for Overweight Children and Teens
What can one parent do? Today's busy lifestyles encourage unhealthy behaviors, but Dr. Richard Byrd, Chief of Pediatrics at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, offers some suggestions for helping children eat less and exercise more.
Weigh to Go Program
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and the Kelsey Research Foundation are working together to get Houston's kids off on the right foot - literally. "Weigh to Go" is a physician-supervised weight management program, providing counseling regarding diet and physical activity.
Back-to-School Health and Safety Tips
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a variety of tips, including backpack safety and developing good homework and study habits.
Want to learn more about the flu and how to stop the spread of germs in schools? Click on one of the links below.
www.cdc.gov/flu/
2004-05 Flu Vaccine Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/germstopper/
Stop the Spread of Germs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/flu/school/index.htm
Stop the Spread of Germs: Actions for Schools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/germstopper/materials.htm
Download pdf posters and flyers (Healthy Habits, Be a Germ Stopper and Cover Your Cough) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Another resource:
www.itsasnap.org
Healthy Schools, Healthy People – It’s a SNAP (School Network for Absenteeism Prevention)
Your Kelsey-Seybold Pediatricians and Dietitians are available to counsel you and to help you set nutrition and physical activity goals. To schedule an appointment, please call our 24/7 Customer Contact Center at 713-442-0427.
