Page Contents
Overview
● Mind – improving children’s self-esteem and supporting families to change their behaviors around eating and activity
● Exercise – engaging in regular physical activity that is fun
● Nutrition – learning about good nutrition and healthy eating
● Do it! – taking action to make healthy lifestyle changes long term
The newest program, Healthy Together, for children ages 6–13 years and their families, is based on MEND 7-13 but with simplified delivery and focus on critical content. Healthy Together can be delivered by one person and is ideal for smaller groups and spaces.
Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time
Intervention Type: Direct Education
Intervention Reach and Adoption
Setting: Community, Early childcare and education, Faith-based, Healthcare, Schools, USDA program sites (not National School Lunch Program), Parks and recreation, Gyms
Target Audience: Preschool (<5 years), Elementary School, Middle School, Parents/Mothers/Fathers
Race/Ethnicity: All
Intervention Components
MEND 2–5 includes material for a meeting once a week for 10 weeks. Each 90-minute weekly session includes 30 minutes active play session for children and parents/caregivers, 15 minutes of snack time material for children and parents/caregivers and 45 minutes of parent/caregiver group materials.
Healthy Together, a modular program for kids 6-13, includes material for a meeting once a week for 10 weeks. Three modules cover 10 one-hour families’ sessions nutrition and behavioral topics, 10 one-hour parents’ sessions including setting goals/rewards, role modeling healthy behaviors, being an active family, and 10 one-hour physical activity sessions including a variety of activities (optional).
Intervention Materials
- Comprehensive leaders/coaches’ manuals
- Leaders kit with resources and demonstration materials
- Family learning materials include engaging materials and resources for children and their parents, handbooks (available in English and Spanish) to reinforce learnings.
Information on materials can be found at the MEND website.
Intervention Costs
The MEND 2-5 program is $215 per child (first order $3,349 minimum + training).
The Healthy Together program is a $99/month subscription + materials (first order $1300 minimum).
Evidence Summary
- At 6 months, there was a significant decrease in waist circumference and BMI z-scores, along with improvements in recovery heart rate, physical activity levels, sedentary levels and global self-esteem in the intervention compared to the control group.
- At 12 months, there was a significant decrease in waist circumference and BMI z-scores, and improvements in recovery heart rate, physical activity levels, and self-esteem were sustained.
A comprehensive list of peer-reviewed publications on MEND can be found at this website.
Evidence-based Approach: Research-tested
Evaluation Indicators
Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST) | Changes – Medium Term (MT) | Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT) | Population Results (R) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Individual | ST1, ST3 | MT1, MT3 | LT1, LT3 | |
Environmental Settings | ||||
Sectors of Influence |
- ST1: Learning about good nutrition and healthy eating
- ST3: Engaging in regular physical activity and reduced sedentary and screen time
- MT1: Learning about good nutrition and healthy eating/supporting families to change their behaviors around eating and activity
- MT3 Engaging in regular physical activity and reduced sedentary and screen time
- LT1: Learning about good nutrition and health eating/supporting families to change their behaviors around eating and activity
Evaluation Materials
Additional Information
Contact Person:
Teresa Earle – Partnership Director
Healthy Weight Partnership Inc.
818-879-0493
info@healthyweightpartnership.org