In an effort to curb the alarming rates of obesity in Texas, The Cooper Institute was recently awarded a contract from the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to develop a nutrition assessment and educational service for students called NUTRIGRAM®. The online survey, being created specifically for children grades 3-5, will provide an individual snapshot of each participating student's nutrition knowledge and behavior; empower students to take ownership of their food choices through online learning opportunities; and provide critical information to raise the bar for school nutrition.
"The Cooper Institute's partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture will enable our organizations to assess, evaluate, and improve upon kids' nutrition knowledge," Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, Founder and Chairman of Cooper Aerobics Center said. "We've seen firsthand through The Cooper Institute's youth fitness evaluations that knowledge has the power to transform individuals and communities, so we are optimistic NUTRIGRAM will spark a positive change in how Texas' children will view and consume healthy foods."
Through a question and answer format, NUTRIGRAM will generate a report for the individual student, parent and/or teacher, which will help track and measure nutrition knowledge and behaviors. The report also will provide TDA information on the various food choices students would like to see in their school cafeterias.
"If this obesity epidemic is not reversed we will, for the first time in history, see children living shorter lives than their parents," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. "NUTRIGRAM will assist us in developing solutions to ensure our children live healthy lives, which benefits taxpayers, businesses and most importantly our families. NUTRIGRAM is the perfect complement to the initiative we are promoting – the 3E's of Healthy Living – Education, Exercise and Eating Right."
NUTRIGRAM will also feature the first 3D game-based nutrition education program developed specifically for elementary schools. The games are intended to pique the interest of students to adopt healthier eating.
NUTRIGRAM is scheduled to be tested in 14 schools across Texas in 2011.
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