EXERCISE AND NUTRITION PROGRAM AT UH ‘BOUNCES’
TO THE BEST
Summer Camp Program One of Only 10 Recognized by Texas Public Health
Association
HOUSTON, April 12, 2006—A University of Houston summer camp
program that focuses on exercise and nutrition for middle school
girls has been recognized by the Texas Public Health Association
as a 2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Best Practices program.
The award will be presented to UH organizers of BOUNCE-Lite at the
association’s annual conference on April 24 in Plano, Texas.
“The idea behind this program was to teach young girls about
positive body image and healthy food and exercise choices,”
Norma Olvera, associate professor in the UH Department of Health
and Human Performance and director of BOUNCE-Lite, said. “We
were encouraged by the response to the program and thrilled to have
this honor.”
The one-week summer program debuted last year. It takes its name
and activities from a study called BOUNCE, Behavior Opportunities
Uniting Nutrition, Counseling and Exercise. Using salsa dancing,
kick boxing, counseling and nutritious food buffets, the program
works with Latina middle school girls and their mothers to determine
if there are cultural factors that contribute to obesity.
“What I’ve found is that parents usually believe that
if a child is eating, she’s healthy, even if the child is
overweight, even if the child is making poor food choices,”
said Olvera. “The act of eating is equated to healthy living.”
Olvera studies how family, environment and culture affect diet and
physical activity. She said there is a great need for research to
learn about Latino families’ perception about obesity and
physical activity. She said her studies have found that more than
40 percent of Hispanic children in Houston are overweight, which
far outpaces the national average of 11percent of all children.
Ten programs were selected for the Texas Public Health Association’s
best practices list. Each was judged, among other things, by the
amount of participation in the program, if the program was replicable
and if it was practical. The list includes programs from Texas Children’s
Hospital and the Houston Parks Department.
For more information on the Department of Health and Human Performance,
please visit www.hhp.uh.edu/.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
|