PHS offers interactive exercise program for school children to combat childhood obesity

ProMedica Health System (PHS) is offering high school students an opportunity to create a children's exercise program for a chance to win $5,000 for college. On Saturday, Jan. 30, teens from 11 high schools in the following cities in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan will participate in the second annual Fields of Green scholarship program: Bellevue, OH; Blissfield, Mich.; Defiance, OH; Elmore, OH; Oregon, OH; Perrysburg, OH; Sherwood, OH; Sylvania, OH; and Toledo, OH. The competition will be held at The Toledo Hospital, 2142 North Cove Blvd. The scholarship program is part of a comprehensive health and fitness initiative, which is designed to combat childhood obesity.

PHS selected 10 finalist teams from a pool of 60 entries. The finalists will be judged on their ideas for a 20-30 minute fun and interactive exercise program that will appeal to elementary school children. Each program must include a detailed budget, a method for evaluating the program's success and a creative slogan. Each team member will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and $1,000 for their school's health and science program. The winning program also will be implemented in several elementary schools in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan this spring.

PHS' first high school scholarship program was held in January 2009, Lunch 101: Food for Thought. It challenged teens to create a nutritionally-balanced elementary school lunch program. Last year, PHS awarded $42,000 to the winners and their schools.

"As a community-based health system, we have a responsibility to encourage healthier lifestyle habits, particularly in children, that will produce lasting, positive results," said Randy Oostra, PHS president and chief executive officer. "We look forward to rewarding these hardworking students for their innovative ideas that will lead to healthier kids."

Another PHS program called the Healthy Kids Conversation Map® Program includes a series of interactive, educational sessions conducted in various community settings to encourage children and adults to adopt healthy eating habits.