Web site has healthy nutrition education for kids

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006

The ‘‘Kids Zone” can be found on the homepage of the Eat Smart Web site located at: www.eatsmart.umd.edu.

All services on the site are free.

The ‘‘Kids Zone” is for kids, pre-teens, and teens in Maryland who want to learn about eating healthy and being active.

A variety of links are provided offering educational activities to emphasize the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle early in life to avoid health problems later.

These links can be used by parents to teach their children about healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors, or by the children themselves.

Dr. Nancy Atkinson at the University of Maryland said, ‘‘The ‘Kids Zone’ feature is an effective way to help parents teach their children about nutrition and physical activity in a fun way.”

The Eat Smart, Be Fit, Maryland Web site is easy to use and provides information on local community events, grocery specials, and nutrition and exercise tips for the whole family.

The Web site is part of a research study being conducted by the Public Health Informatics Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland and the Maryland Cooperative Extension to improve community health for Maryland residents.

For more information, contact the University of Maryland by e-mail at eatsmartmd@umd.edu.