SWEET: Successful Wellness by Eating & Exercising Together

The prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States has risen dramatically in the past several decades. New Jersey Health Commissioner Dr. Fred Jacobs announced on September 6, 2007, that by 2010, 50% of children in the United States will be overweight. Jacobs states the resulting health problems from heart disease and diabetes to certain cancers and sleep apnea will make today’s children the first generation not to live longer than their parents and that resulting medical costs and lost productivity will disrupt the U.S. economy.

Henry J. Austin Health Center developed a unique approach to stem the tide of obesity in its S.W.E.E.T. program. Successful Wellness by Eating and Exercising Together is a family-based program to improve the lifestyle and nutritional choices of obese children and their caregivers.

S.W.E.E.T. utilizes a diverse, dynamic multidisciplinary team approach to helping participants achieve a healthy weight to height, or body mass index (BMI). S.W.E.E.T. offers nutritional classes, group sessions, individualized behavior modification plans, kid-focused exercise provided by a CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) and a licensed dietitian.

The innovative program seeks to combat the ever-growing obesity rate among African-American and Latino children and its concomitant diseases. The program empowers participants to feel a sense of personal ability and success using medical and psychosocial treatment and support the cultural traditions and strengths of the child and his or her family. S.W.E.E.T teaches all family members how to make healthy lifestyle changes by increasing their knowledge of, and interest in nutrition and by demonstrating ways to integrate these changes into the family.

Each child in S.W.E.E.T. develops a personal points system to meet her/his goal and earns individual-chosen incentives. The child is monitored for psychosocial concerns and offered psychosocial treatment if needed. Weekly activities that are active, physical, and fun encourage integrated change rather than isolated “exercise time.” The child and families attend evening nutritional and activity groups and personal appointments with S.W.E.E.T staff.

The Trenton Board of Education has embraced S.W.E.E.T. and it has offered programs in four Trenton elementary schools – P.J. Hill, Hedgepath-Williams, Washington and Robbins with plans to expand.
S.W.E.E.T. was initially funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Funding also covered the crafting of a “how to” manual to facilitate replication of the S.W.E.E.T. program in other environments.

For more information about S.W.E.E.T., please call Catherine Taeffner (609) 475-2686.