Health Education to Reduce Obesity (HERO)

Founded in 2010, the Health Education to Reduce Obesity (HERO) program is designed to combat childhood obesity and related chronic diseases by promoting the importance of healthy food choices and physical activity among children. The mobile program brings hands-on nutrition education, health screenings, fitness training, and healthy lifestyle promotion to local elementary schools in Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding area. The HERO van also visits health fairs, the YMCA, high schools and other places in order to reach underserved communities. Specific program components include lessons on how the human body works, interactive food demonstrations, and team games and simple cardiovascular activities.

To combat childhood obesity through mobile health education, community partnership, and access to existing federal, state, and local health and nutrition programs.

HERO has worked with two local elementary schools, providing one-hour sessions every other week during two classes at each school. As of 2011, 80 children had taken part in the mobile program at their schools. Teachers at the schools report students taking greater interest in making healthy choices in school and at home. HERO will return to one of the schools to provide both in- and after-school programming.