The Trenton Times published the following article on September 9, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
After-school wellness program seeks to target childhood obesity in Trenton, Ewing
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on September 09, 2014 at 7:08 PM, updated September 10, 2014 at 11:56 AMElementary students at two local schools will be encouraging healthy living for both students and parents as a new after school wellness program kicks off this month.
Monument Elementary School in Trenton and Christina Seix Academy in Ewing will host pilot programs put on by Capital Health as part of their community health outreach programs targeting childhood obesity.
Robert Remstein, Capital Health’s vice president of accountable care, said childhood obesity affects 21 percent of children nationwide, but a recent community health needs assessment showed that nearly 50 percent of children in Trenton are obese.
“This is an unacceptable number,” Remstein said.
As part of the after-school wellness program, Capital Health will have an exercise physiologist and a nutritionist at each of the schools two days a week working with a class of students and sometimes their parents. If the program is proven to be successful and yields healthier students and parents, Capital Health may look to apply for grants to fund the program in more schools in the region.