Class to create healthy kids shows impressive results

Dr. Sean Kenniff, CBS News

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Mar 21, 2008 at 12:55 PM EST

Story Updated: Mar 21, 2008 at 12:55 PM EST

(CBS) — In the midst of a childhood obesity epidemic two researchers had a novel idea: If you want kids to eat healthy, teach them how. The simple solution has led to some impressive results.

A group of preschoolers took part in a University of Miami experiment designed to hold off childhood obesity.

"We wanted to keep normal weight children a normal weight so it's really a prevention intervention,” explained Dr. Sarah Messiah of the University of Miami.

Dr. Messiah and Dr. Ruby Natale developed the program to teach inner city kids about healthy foods and why they need to eat them.

And a new report shows it's working.

Kids in the program stopped eating chips almost entirely. Cookie consumption dropped by 50 percent, and fresh fruit and vegetable consumption increased by 25 percent.

"They go home and ask parents to buy them more broccoli, which we were told would never happen,” said Dr. Natale.

And almost all of the kids stayed at the same weight, or lost a little bit.

This program worked so well that it's going to be expanded in the upcoming year from 7 centers to 10 centers, and the hope is it will start an educational trend nationwide.

That's good news for pediatricians.

"We need effective community-based programs to approach that and we need to begin very early,” said Pediatrician Dr. Lee Sanders.

And while some old habits die hard, this study proves it's never too early to start the healthy ones.

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