GO GIRLS! Obesity Prevention Project Targets Teens in Public Housing Developments


Go Girls is a nutrition and physical activity program designed for overweight African-American girls ages 12-16 that includes activities such as AFunk @ aerobics, AAfrobics @, step class, walking, hikes in local parks and working out at local fitness centers.

During biweekly group meetings conducted on-site at public housing developments, Emory University staff lead girls in fun, experiential learning activities that expose them to reading food labels, finding the fat in food, nutrition basics, understanding hunger and satiety, and the benefits of exercise. The girls also prepare and taste healthy recipes.

Parents are invited to selected sessions and are provided recipes and tips for helping their children improve their diet.

"We are currently in our fourth and final housing development," says Ken Resnicow, Ph.D, associate professor of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at the Rollins School Public Health of Emory University. "This phase of the project will end around December 1998."

The team hopes to garner federal support to adapt the Go Girls program for the primary prevention of obesity in preadolescent girls with overweight parents.