Concern about childhood obesity has grown to a national level. Now, thanks to a $3.6 million federal grant, a program to battle the issue among middle school-aged girls locally will now be able to expand throughout the state.
The big idea started from a small observation made by the
MSU College of Nursing’s Dr. Lorraine Robbins when her daughter was in elementary school.
“I observed that most of the girls were inactive on the playground,” she says. “They were either standing and talking or swinging.”
Robbins wasn’t the only one to notice. According to federal estimates, more than 1.5 million of the approximately 5 million middle school girls in the United States are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Recognizing the need for girls of this age to become more active, she developed Girls on the Move, a program focused on individual and web-based counseling sessions with school nurses and an after-school physical activity club.
After five-years as a pilot program in Lansing-area middle schools, Robbins and local educators were pleased with the results.
“The girls enjoyed participation,” says Robbins, “while acceptability and feasibility of the intervention were positive towards improved moderate to vigorous physical activity, body mass index, percent body fat, cardiovascular fitness, and waist circumference.”
That success led to the federal grant, which will now allow the 17-week Girls on the Move program to expand to schools in Jackson, Flint, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Muskegon and Kalamazoo.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.