Funding will allow participants tools to promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle
MARTINSBURG, W.Va – WVU Hospitals-East, along with the Berkeley County Health Department, has been chosen as a national evaluation site for the BodyWorks Program. Funding is made possible in part by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Women’s Health. Other partners include WVU Extension, Berkeley County Schools and Shenandoah Community Health Center.
The BodyWorks Program is for parents and caregivers of young adolescent boys and girls aged 9 to 14. The program focuses on helping families create healthier lifestyles. The BodyWorks Program emphasizes parents as role models and provides them with the tools and support they need to create healthy lifestyles with their children.
Families who enroll in the BodyWorks Program will receive a BodyWorks toolkit and will attend regular group meetings to help maintain behavior change. The toolkit includes a video on healthy shopping and cooking strategies, a recipe book, food and fitness journals, a weekly meal planner refrigerator magnet and more. “Funding also allows us to provide incentives that families can earn to support their healthy behaviors such as a healthy eating toolkit and food and gas vouchers,” said Dana DeJarnett, health promotion specialist with The Wellness Center at City Hospital.
“The BodyWorks program is designed to provide families with tools they can begin using immediately, such as learning how to understand the information on a nutrition label, estimating proper portions to avoid ‘portion distortion,’ and how to have a healthy body image, eat well, and stay active for life. The program brings together families and community partners to promote maximum health benefits for all participants. BodyWorks is a great program that is really fun and motivating for the entire family,” said Denise Ryan, health promotion specialist for the Berkeley County Health Department.
The program will be offered in 8-week sessions beginning November 7, 2011. The first session will be held on Mondays from 6-8pm in Suite 2500 of the McCormack Center on the campus of City Hospital. Families will also be required to attend a follow up session 8 weeks after completion of the program. Registration is limited to 10 families in each session. Three sessions will be offered between now and September 2012.
For more information or to register, please contact Dana DeJarnett at 304-264-1287, ext. 1814 ddejarnett@cityhospital.org or Denise Ryan at 304-267-7130 denise.m.ryan@wv.gov.
“Funding for this activity was made possible in part by the HHS, Office on Women's Health. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators at HHS-sponsored conferences, do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.”