Age Range: 10 to 14
One program in the San Francisco Bay Area is educating urban youth, specifically African Americans aged 10–14, about the dangers of obesity through song, dance, and art. Promoting Healthy Activities Together (PHAT) was developed in 2002 in order to “improve nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors.” PHAT went into pre-existing after school and summer camp programs to entice youth with interactive lessons, music, hip-hop dance lessons, and lyric writing workshops.
PHAT was developed as a result of a 2000 study by the Public Health Institute that stated that nearly one in three adolescents in California is at risk or already overweight with rates highest for Latino and African American teens. The study also found that “young African-Americans frequent fast food restaurants more than any other ethnic group, drink a lot of soda, lack nutrition education, and exercise infrequently.” According to PHAT personnel, the program looked towards hip hop music to address these issues because the “hip hop culture is so big, and so many youth are into it, it seemed a natural way to reach them.”
Youth in the program are encouraged to write music that discusses the dangers of living an unhealthy lifestyle. They then turn these lyrics into hip-hop music. PHAT also teaches kids how to dance and that dancing is not only fun, but it is a way to get off the couch and be active.
PHAT brings local talent to their workshop to inspire the kids. They believe that youth are more likely to respond to outside personalities than to the people that they see everyday. The PHAT team recommends enlisting local radio personalities, DJ’s, and dance instructors to teach the lessons. Other ideas used by PHAT to inspire activity in youth include sponsoring weekly rap sessions and encouraging local dance groups to hold hip-hop and/or break dance classes.
In the after school sessions the PHAT staff asks students to really look at what they are eating and to examine ways that they could easily improve what they consume. They focus on substituting water for soda and fruit for candy. Information is packaged so that the kids can understand the results of unhealthy food consumption.
Results
Participating youth were surveyed before, immediately after and a year later to measure what progress they had made. The survey showed that after a year 57 percent of the students had a rise in water consumption, 54 percent reported a decrease in their soda consumption, and 69 percent stated that they had a noticeable increase in their physical activity level. Youth were introduced to the harms of junk food and were exposed to smart alternatives all while allowing them to express their creative minds.
PHAT encouraged the after school programs with which they partnered to serve healthier snacks and to use activities in which everyone was involved. The after school program administrators noted that a majority of their youth was still participating in a healthier lifestyle after a year. All of the programs reported that they still used hip-hop as part of their main curriculum to promote active lifestyles.
Innovative Ideas
Incorporating hip-hop culture into lessons on healthy living is a great way to increase physical activity in youth and inspire them to express their often pent up feelings.
It is important to utilize expert members of the community and local celebrities to teach important health lessons and help initiate a cultural shift toward valuing healthy lifestyle decisions.
Hip-hop music can often send a negative message. This program utilizes hip-hop music in a positive way, allowing youth to express their emotions and to learn about healthier lifestyles.
Implementation
This program is easily adapted to any school curriculum or after school/community- based program. The PHAT website provides many resources to assist with implementation. The main ideas of the program lend themselves to any community’s needs. There is a CD of hip-hop music and a video of dance lessons produced by PHAT that can be purchased. When planning a program, PHAT recommends that youth be encouraged to participate. They also urge organizers to concentrate resources on very selected target areas in order to achieve the best results. New Jersey has many urban areas that could benefit from this award-winning program (2003 Dannon Institute Award for Excellence in Community Nutrition). PHAT conducts national workshops about “Using Hip Hop to Reach Youth with Obesity Prevention Messages,” see their website for information on upcoming workshops.
Resources
www.canfit.org/phat/
The PHAT website has a wealth of resources to advise you on developing your own local program
Contacts
CANFit Program
2140 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 610
Berkeley CA 94704
info@canfit.org
Phone: (510) 644-1533
Fax: (510) 644-1535
