AETNA's nutrition program to counter childhood obesity

Aetna Better Health (NYSE:AET), formerly Aetna Medicaid and CHIP Services, today announced an eight-week nutrition and exercise program for children at the North Fort Worth Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth. The pilot program, named ACTIVATE Kids, was created to educate children on the risks of childhood obesity.

The 45 children participating in ACTIVATE Kids will meet weekly at the Boys and Girls Club to receive lessons from Aetna’s community outreach staff on nutrition, goal setting, staying active, managing emotions and self-esteem among other topics. The children can earn privileges to play on Wii Fit and Wii Resort, which prompts kids to use various forms of exercise to complete games.

“With childhood obesity on the rise, we wanted to create an educational and interactive program for kids,” said Craig Bass, regional vice president of Aetna Better Health Texas. “We are excited to partner with the North Fort Worth Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth to roll out this pilot program.”

Following the completion of the eight-week program, participating children will take part in a post-program survey to measure behavioral and attitudinal changes.