Third-grade students at Willow Elementary School in Lansing show off their certificates for completing the Healthy Habits program. Photo by Jessica Nuno

Click on an image to view a larger or high-resolution version.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Reaching children at a young age can have a huge impact on their future health and diet, helping stem obesity and other chronic health conditions, according to a Michigan State University pediatrics professor.

To that end, a group of students from the colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine are working with elementary schoolchildren in mid-Michigan to teach them healthy habits, including eating right and how to properly exercise.

Christopher Pohlod, a professor in the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, serves as a mentor to a group of about 45 students who worked with kids at Willow Elementary School in Lansing this spring.

“Due to changes in elementary school curriculum, many younger kids do not get this important information until much later, sometimes too late or never,” Pohlod said. “It’s primary prevention: The more we can expose them to healthy habits early on, the more likely they are to incorporate them for life.”

The Healthy Habits Initiative began in 2007 when the American Medical Association’s Ethic in Action program — seeking ways to teach children proper nutrition — awarded a group of MSU medical students a $2,500 yearly grant. They have drawn on those funds to work with children at Willow and Marble Elementary School in East Lansing; each semester program includes four hour-long sessions.

Megan Colella, a second-year osteopathic medicine student, is one of four program managers for the initiative.

“This project allows me to get the experience of talking to and teaching children about nutrition, physical activity and healthier life-styles, which are skills I need to effectively help my patients in the future,” said Colella, who is studying to become a pediatrician.

Added Rachel Brim, another project manager and a first-year College of Human Medicine student: “This project promotes interaction with a diverse group of potential patients, which is a wonderful reminder, amidst my book-heavy schedule, of why I started studying medicine in the first place.” 

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.