Family Guide to Better Health Florida Residents Learn How to Improve Their Health 1. The parent's job is to provide nutritious, well-balanced meals, to keep healthy foods and beverages in the house and to set a good example. The child's job is to control how much he eats by responding to internal cues of hunger and fullness. 2. Establish a routine. Schedule meals and snacks. Avoid casual snacking. 3. Serve portion sizes appropriate to a family member's age and activity level. Begin with small portions and provide the opportunity for more. 4. Help children learn to eat slowly, enjoy food and stop eating when satisfied. Don't force them to "clean their plate." 5. Refrain from using food as a reward. Help children learn to eat for nourishment and satisfaction. 6. Limit the purchase and consumption of high calorie, low nutrient, sugar-sweetened beverages. Serve water, fat-free or 1% milk and 100% juice. Whole milk is recommended for children up to 2 years of age. 7. Prepare and eat meals at home. Eat together and turn off the television during mealtime. 8. Make it a family priority to be active together. Children should accumulate an hour of physical activity every day. Walk, run and play with your children; don't just sit on the sidelines. 9. Monitor and limit screen time to 1 to 2 hours a day. Do not have a TV in a child's bedroom; instead, locate the TV in an out-of-the-way location so watching does not dominate the activity in the home. Parents, teachers and community members can serve as positive role models by providing day-by-day guidance in helping our children develop healthy habits at home, in school and in the community. Cooperative Extension is helping address the childhood overweight issue across the state by offering "Color Me Healthy," a program designed to teach childcare providers to help children develop positive behaviors with respect to nutrition and physical activity. To learn more contact your county Cooperative Extension Center. Promoting Healthy Lifestyles "We are encouraging Americans of all ages to live healthier lives. Healthy living can prevent diseases and certain disabilities, and it can ensure that today's older persons - as well as future generations - not only live longer, but also better." -Josefina G. Carbonell Great improvements in medicine, public health, science, and technology have enabled today's older Americans to live longer and healthier lives than previous generations. Older adults want to remain healthy and independent at home in their communities. Society wants to minimize the health care and economic costs associated with an increasing older population. The science of aging indicates that chronic disease and disability are not inevitable. As a result, health promotion and disease prevention activities and programs are an increasing priority for older adults, their families, and the health care system. Many Americans fail to make the connection between undertaking healthy behaviors today and the impact of these choices later in life. Studies by the National Institute of Aging indicate that healthy eating, physical activity, mental stimulation, not smoking, active social engagement, moderate use of alcohol, maintaining a safe environment, social support, and regular health care are important in maintaining health and independence. Promoting the healthy lifestyles of older people is vital in helping them to maintain health and functional independence and lead healthy and independent lives. Providing information to you about disease prevention and health promotion activities will help us help you and your loved ones become more knowledgeable about the health problems you may face and how you can prevent, delay, or manage them. We are using the Department's report called Healthy People as a framework for providing you with this information. The report, originally published in 1979 and updated throughout the past thirty years, identifies the most significant preventable threats to health and focuses public and private sector efforts to address those threats. The overarching goals of the most recent update of the report, Healthy People 2010, include increasing the quality and years of healthy life and eliminating health disparities. Within the report there are twenty-eight focus areas with goals and objectives within each area. Courtesy of Administration on Aging Source: Amy Griswold, Family Life Educator, University of Illinois Extension - Macomb Center; Rachel Schwarzendruber, Family Life Educator, University of Illinois Extension - East Peoria Center Release Date: Nov.1, 2003 Pull Date: Nov. 30, 2003