Mallard Creek Recreation Center in Charlotte kicks off "Hearts N' Parks" program

Hearts N' Parks Y2K, an innovative program designed to promote the adoption of heart healthy behaviors among North Carolina children and their families, will be launched at a special media event in Charlotte on Thursday, July 15th, beginning at 11:00 a.m. The launch will demonstrate heart health lessons learned in the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health Study (CATCH). A follow-up study on CATCH was announced in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine on July 14, 1999.

The Hearts N' Parks launch in Charlotte will highlight a children's day camp where CATCH will be taught, along with a fitness class for seniors, and a USA Tennis class. A special ceremony with invited guests from throughout the State will also be held. Special events will also be held in most of the 11 other North Carolina communities that are participating in Hearts N' Parks.

Hearts N' Parks Y2K, a collaborative effort of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), North Carolina State University, and Southern Connecticut University, is a statewide pilot program to promote the adoption of heart healthy behaviors, including eating right and getting regular physical activity, to people of all ages. Its purpose is to increase the number of children and adults, including seniors, who engage in regular moderate-intensity physical activity and follow a heart healthy eating plan and to demonstrate the positive impact that community park and recreation departments can have upon the adoption of such healthy behaviors.

Findings from a follow-up study of CATCH, reported on July 14th, showed that children who learned heart-healthy behaviors in grades 3 through 5 from the CATCH program continued to practice these behaviors for several ye
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Contact: Communications Office
301-496-4236
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
15-Jul-1999