Delving into Wellness

By Lee Anna Sherman

Children’s physical well-being is critical to their academic and emotional growth.  Yet for an alarming number of preschoolers, too much sitting and too much snacking have led to premature weight problems.

OSU researchers are working on ways to intervene.

Joanne Sorte, director of the OSU Child Development Center, and her colleague Inge Daeschel, a nutrition expert, have developed a research-based toolkit for boosting activity levels in childcare settings. Called “Health in Action: Five Simple Steps to Better Health,” the paired nutrition and activity strategies have been adopted in Head Start and other childcare centers and programs across the state and beyond.

Another researcher, Professor Stewart Trost in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, is designing a related intervention for home-based childcare settings. Based on a study of diet and activity levels in 60 family childcare homes, the obesity prevention program will train participants in proper nutrition and activity levels for young children.

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