One in Six Oklahoma Teens Struggle with Weight: Simple Steps Can Help Families Build Healthier Habits This Fall
Between school, work and busy schedules, it can be tough for families to stay on track with healthy habits. This fall, Shape Your Future, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), reminds Oklahomans that small changes can make a big difference. Adding a vegetable to supper or taking a short family walk can help kids grow up healthier and stronger.
Childhood obesity continues to be a challenge across our state. About one in six Oklahoma high school students is overweight, putting them at greater risk for health problems later in life, like high blood pressure and diabetes. The good news is that prevention starts right at home.
“Kids watch what we do,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “When parents and grandparents make time for healthier meals and a little more activity, it shows our children what living well looks like. That is something every family can do. At TSET, we want to give families the support they need to help the next generation thrive.”
Shape Your Future offers free, practical resources designed for busy Oklahoma families. At ShapeYourFutureOK.com, you’ll find:
- Quick, budget-friendly recipes you can make with ingredients from your local grocery store.
- Easy, family-friendly ways to get active such as playing outside to walking together after dinner.
- Helpful tips on sleep, hydration and family wellness that fit into everyday life.
One of the easiest ways to feel better and stay healthy is to eat more fruits and vegetables. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables all count. Shape Your Future has plenty of tools to help families put them on the table without stretching the budget.
Healthy communities start with healthy families. By taking small steps together, Oklahomans can raise a stronger, healthier next generation. To learn more and get started today, visit ShapeYourFutureOK.com.
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Shape Your Future is a community health education intervention that encourages Oklahomans to eat better, move more and be tobacco free. Shape Your Future strives to educate parents, teachers, caregivers and all Oklahomans on how to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Find more information online at ShapeYourFutureOK.com.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health