Slide 1
Welcome to Chapter 7 of the Parent Program online training. Here we will describe the last session in the Parent Program, Session 4—Less Sit, More Fit: ENERGY OUT.
Slide 2
In this last session of the Parent Program, the focus is on the second half of the energy balance equation—ENERGY OUT. The leader’s goal is to guide participants through strategies for improving ENERGY OUT by helping them increase and find fun in physical activity, and reduce screen time.
Since this is the final session of the program, you will also be offering parents tips on how to maintain their progress after the program has ended. And, as mentioned in Session 1 (Chapter 4 of this training), you will be asking participants to complete the Tell Us What You Think Now evaluation tool to give you a good sense of how effective the training program was in teaching them about eating healthier foods, being more physically active, and reducing screen time.
Slide 3
Before getting into the discussion on physical activity, it is a good idea to review the physical activity recommendations for adults and children that were discussed during Session 2.
Note that these recommendations are consistent with the new Physical Activity Guidelines for American released in 2008. They recommend that adults should get up to 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate activity per week. And, children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more per day.
Slide 4
For many families, increasing physical activity may seem too difficult for a variety of reasons. We Can! focuses on helping participants find FUN in physical activity. In this session, you’ll engage participants in a discussion about the enjoyable aspects of physical activity.
Encourage group participants to think about a time when they were active, whether recently or in the past. Ask them to share their thoughts on:
Slide 5
We Can! has prepared a list of suggestions that you can share with the group to help overcome challenges that prevent families from getting enough physical activity. The Make Physical Activity Fun handout is a We Can! resource that you may distribute to parents to stimulate a dialogue about ways that families can build physical activity into a busy week.
Slide 6
Here are some of the suggestions from the handout:
Bring others into it.
Make time.
Stay motivated.
Build new skills.
Make the most of all weather conditions.
Slide 7
During Session 4, the Boston Public Health Commission Parent Program facilitators encourage parents to talk about ways to create realistic physical activity and screen time changes for their families that build upon their existing routines. They also try to build in time for exchange of information on nearby recreational facilities.
Slide 8
Discussing ways to increase physical activity and boost ENERGY OUT is important. But, it’s useful for parents to also be aware of physical inactivity and what behaviors contribute to that. Children are spending more time than ever in front of screens—TVs, computers, and video games—and when they do that, they are being physically inactive and burning fewer calories. Often, they are also eating while in front of the screen.
Slide 9
Why do health experts recommend no more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time for children?
Slide 10
Screen time statistics among youth are alarming. We Can! has compiled some statistics on screen time that you can share with parents to get them thinking about just how much time children are spending in front of screens. Here are a few:
Slide 11
For the next part of the session, the leader can distribute and discuss the handout called We Can! Help Children Reduce Screen Time. Some of the tips listed include:
Slide 12
Parents need to first figure out how much time their children are spending in front of the screen. The We Can! Reduce Children’s Screen Time Log is a handy guide for parents to use and share with their family to track time spent in front of a screen. They can use this log to help children reach a goal of fewer than two hours per day of screen time.
Slide 13
Before concluding the Parent Program, it is important to lead the group in a discussion about how they will maintain both the large and small changes they incorporated into their families’ lifestyles during the course of the program.
The We Can! Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight for Life handout will help you guide the discussion. It lists some simple tips to help families sustain Energy Balance, stay motivated, and handle setbacks in order to maintain a healthy weight for life.
Slide 14
In Lexington, Kentucky, program leaders from the Tweens Fitness Coalition, a We Can! General Community Site, stay connected with parents to help them keep motivated after going through the four sessions. Leaders host We Can! reunions and ask participants to come prepared to discuss one success and one challenge they’ve experienced since their participation in the program. Parents enjoy catching up with each other and learning from their peers.
A follow-up e-mail might be just one or two sentences about a quick and healthy dinner idea, information about a walking group, a referral to a new class that the kids might like, or a general way to market information about We Can!
Slide 15
Just before you finish Session 4, since it is the last session in the program, you’ll invite the participants to complete the Tell Us What You Think Now evaluation tool. This is the same Tell Us What You Think form that you had participants fill out before starting the program. This helps assess how effective the Parent Program has been in teaching parents to practice healthier eating behaviors, be more physically active, and reduce screen time.
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