|For immediate use|| Oct. 28, 2002 -- No. 587 Church-based
obesity prevention program shows how ‘Girls Rule!’ at staying
healthy By MEGAN MILLER UNC School of Public Health CHAPEL HILL
-- In a program led by faculty in the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of public health and medicine,
young black girls and their caregivers are learning skills to
keep body and mind healthy in the fight against obesity, a
condition that is on the rise in this population. The program,
called "Girls Rule!", teaches girls ages 6 through 9 and the
women who care for them how to use dietary choices, physical
activity and a positive self-image to maintain a healthy weight.
With the basic message of "Eat healthy, move more," the weekly
sessions held at Union Baptist Church near downtown Durham have
participants exercising together, trying nutritious foods and
listening to lectures on the key ingredients of a healthy
lifestyle. Home visits by program staff help participants make
their environment conducive to eating