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Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center - FRESH: Food for Re-education for Elementary School Health
FRESH is a nutrition program taught in several Baltimore-area elementary schools and created by Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The program is designed to lower future heart disease risk by establishing good life-long nutrition and exercise habits in children. FRESH aims to reduce risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and lack of exercise. Elementary students are taught about healthy living through a variety of formats. Lesson topics include heart disease, the My Plate, healthy snacks and the importance of exercise.
What is it?
FRESH is a nutrition program taught in several Baltimore-area elementary schools and created by Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The program is designed to lower future heart disease risk by establishing good life-long nutrition and exercise habits in children. FRESH aims to reduce risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and lack of exercise. Elementary students are taught about healthy living through a variety of formats. Lesson topics include heart disease, the My Plate, healthy snacks and the importance of exercise.
Who is it for?
Baltimore-area elementary school kids.
Why do they do it?
The goal is to provide a prevention program that has a direct positive impact on the health of community children. In 2011 there was a major revision to the FRESH curriculum to reflect current best practices, including the addition of two new lessons. Obesity and diabetes are two risk factors for heart disease that are becoming very prevalent in today’s society, and they are increasingly affecting children. Because of this, an obesity lesson and a diabetes lesson have been added to FRESH’s curriculum to target the two risk factors specifically.
Impact
The FRESH program is offered to at least 16 schools each school year (the program is always striving to reach out to other schools as well). Approximately 1,600 students receive the FRESH program each school year. Prior to any lessons, the children are given a pre-assessment, with the questions based on the lessons they will be receiving throughout the school year. The students are then given a post-assessment at the end of the school year. The questions are the same as on the pre-assessment. Looking at both the pre- and post-assessments, it has been noted that many students are making healthier food choices, as well as becoming more physically active.
Contact: April Meise
FRESH Program
Telephone: 410-550-6958
E-mail: ameise1@jhmi.edu
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