Sample Press Release

[YOUR ORGANIZATION'S LOGO HERE]     [WE CAN! LOGO HERE]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: [NAME], [ORGANIZATION] [PHONE], [E-MAIL]

[DATE]

[COMMUNITY SITE] Launches We Can! to Fight Youth Obesity

New Federal Program for Families Comes to [Region]

CITY, STATE - [COMMUNITY SITE] today launches We Can!™ (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition!), a new program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the growing obesity epidemic among youths ages 8-13. We Can! reaches parents and caregivers in home and community settings with educational materials and activities including a new six-lesson course for parents,a new parent Web site (http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov), a parent handbook in both English and Spanish, several youth programs, and community events and projects.

"Parents in [REGION] have new resources to help their families maintain a healthy weight," said [COMMUNITY SITE DIRECTOR]. "With the materials that the We Can! program offers,we can help make a difference in the lives of our residents."

Activities for the We Can! program include [LAUNCH EVENT AND/OR PROGRAM DETAILS].

"We Can! is designed to empower parents by providing them the tools they need to promote healthy eating, increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time within their families," said Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at NIH.

We Can! reaches parents and caregivers in home and community settings with educational materials and activities. Specifically, We Can! encourages parents and caregivers to:

• Increase the availability and accessibility of healthy foods in the home
• Enjoy small portions at home and at restaurants
• Limit the availability and accessibility in the home of sweetened beverages, high-fat foods and energy-dense foods that are low in nutrients
• Support and enable family physical activity
• Support and enable reduced screen time

We Can! encourages children ages 8-13 to:

• Choose a sufficient amount of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day
• Enjoy small portions at home and at restaurants
• Decrease consumption of high-fat foods and energy-dense foods that are low in nutrient value
• Substitute water, fat-free or low-fat milk for sweetened beverages
• Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week
• Reduce sedentary activity by limiting screen time to no more than two hours per day

We Can! is based on an in-depth review of the leading science-based literature on obesity prevention, an environmental scan of relevant materials from Federal and non-Federal agency programs as well as the demonstrated capacity of community-based settings. NHLBI is joined by three other NIH Institutes-National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Cancer Institute-in promoting We Can! to provide a comprehensive Federal government response to the critical issue of childhood obesity.

NIH has designed We Can! so that any local civic groups, parent groups, churches and others can implement these activities in their communities. To date, 13 Intensive Community Sites and more than 20 other communities have committed to use We Can! program materials and organize classes and events. More information on We Can! for parents, caregivers and community organizations is available at the We Can! Web site: http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or call 1-866-35-WECAN.