The National Children's Study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Hosted a Fit and Fun Fair in Montgomery County

Rep. Tim Briggs Spoke About Healthy Kids Legislation

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Childhood Obesity Month, The National Children's Study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia hosted a Fit and Fun Fair Sunday at Upper Merion Area High School in Montgomery County.

Special guest speaker State Rep. Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, offered opening remarks on supporting obesity prevention and raising awareness of healthy living. Briggs recently has introduced the proposed Healthy Kids Healthy Futures Act (H.B. 1795), which would require that Pennsylvania schools provide all students with at least 30 minutes of physical activity each school day.

"As a parent, I try to stress the importance of healthy habits to my own children," Briggs said. "I introduced the Healthy Kids Healthy Futures Act so that all of Pennsylvania's kids will get what experts say is the proper amount of exercise throughout their school day. CHOP should be commended for their efforts and I am happy to be working with them to ensure that our children are as healthy as possible and can look forward to bright futures."

The goal of the fair was to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle. By educating both children and parents, The National Children's Study showed how healthy living is an occasion to be celebrated.

"As part of The National Children's Study, our focus is to conduct research to help future generations of children by understanding the link between the environment in which children are raised and their physical and emotional health and development," Jennifer Culhane, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "For the children of today, we can impact their future immediately through educating about fitness and healthy living."

The National Children's Study, funded by the U.S. Congress, is the largest long term study of environmental and genetic effects on children's health in the United States. The goal of the study is to improve children's health and well-being in order to contribute to understanding the role that various factors have on health and disease.

This Sunday consisted of various activities for kids and their parents to educate them on fitness and nutrition through sports and exercise demonstrations along with providing healthy lunches. In addition, the event offered kids yoga, massages, giveaways, music, and face painting.

For more information on The National Children's Study go to http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 516-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

Media Contact: Rachel Salis-Silverman
267-426-6063
[email protected]

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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