The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) was recently awarded a grant from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. The grant – Champions for Healthy Kids – will provide $20,000 in funding over the next year. This new grant will allow the NKFM to improve children’s health and wellness by working to prevent or delay the onset of preventable diseases through the implementation of the Project for EArly Childhood Health (PEACH) in the following Southest Michigan communities: North/Mid Detroit, Ecorse, Ferndale, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Inkster, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pontiac, and Warren.
For over a decade, reducing health disparities has been a focus of the NKFM, bringing together key strengths and expertise to address the formidable challenges of planning, implementing, and evaluating innovative community-based interventions in vulnerable populations. While 13.2% of Michigan’s low-income young children are obese, the prevalence of obesity in the selected communities is higher.
The NKFM’s PEACH programs provide engaging nutrition and physical activity education to children, empower parents and caregivers to improve their health behaviors through education, and encourage environmental change in early childhood settings. Children in these programs learn and adopt nutritional and physical activity behaviors that prevent chronic disease, promote their well-being, and ultimately place them on a path to join a generation of healthy, prepared learners.
“There is a critical need for evidence-based, nutrition education programs like PEACH and their associated positive health outcomes for childhood obesity and chronic disease prevention in Southeast Michigan,” said Dr. Art Franke, Senior VP and Chief Science Officer of the NKFM. “I’m thrilled we have the opportunity to educate children in these communities about healthy choices.”
The NKFM aims to impact 1,250 children in Southeast Michigan in the first year of this project. The PEACH programs that will be implemented in the communities include two initiatives that stem from NAP SACC (Nutrition And Physical activity Self-Assessment for Child Care) an environmental assessment and action planning process; and Regie’s Rainbow Adventure®, a 7 week nutrition and physical activity education classroom-based curriculum which meets the nutrition and physical activity best practice recommendations in NAP SACC.
For more information about the NKFM’s PEACH programs, visit www.nkfm.org or contact Crystal D’Agostino from the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan at 800-482-1455.
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