| NEWS RELEASE |
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Office of External Communications |
Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Marisa Ramirez |
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For two weeks in July, girls will kick box, jump rope and salsa dance their way to healthy living. “BOUNCE Lite” is a nutrition and self-esteem summer program offered by the University of Houston Health and Human Performance Department for girls 9 – 12 years old. “We want to change perceptions and behaviors about eating and physical activity, and help young girls to develop healthy life choices,” Norma Olvera, assistant professor and principal investigator said. “Our hope is to teach girls to be more active, to eat right and to have a positive image about themselves.” Olvera says girls at this age can become very conscious about their weight and body image. BOUNCE Lite will give them critical information to help them make healthy choices, she said. “BOUNCE Lite” features programs on nutrition, fitness, self-esteem and body image, making good choices, and teambuilding. Fitness instructors and dieticians from UH will also provide fitness assessments. Participants may sign up for one or two weeks. The fee is $200 per week. “This fall we will be using similar activities to study middle school girls and their exercise and nutrition choices,” said Olvera. BOUNCE, Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition, Counseling and Exercise, focuses on 5th grade girls and their mothers. The three-month study will be structured like a physical education class and will be presented three days a week during the school year. The study will examine 50 girls from Rusk Elementary School where the program will be held. The study is funded by the UH College of Education’s Faculty Research Opportunity Award and the UH Gear Program. For more information, contact Melissa Tomlinson at 713.743.9851 or BOUNCE_Wellness_Camp@mail.coe.uh.edu
For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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