Do pediatric obesity At-School programs work? Most are ineffective! Reducing fat or trying to get kids to exercise have not been successful. Family programs, one-on-one special attention programs, and a new program from the U.K. do seem to work!

“The investigators studied 644 children, aged 7 to 11, in six primary schools in Christchurch, England, during the 2001-2002 school year. Half the classes participated in a program discouraging both regular and diet sodas and stressing the benefits of a healthy diet, while the other half did not.

The program involved a one-hour session given to each participating class four times during the school year.

The first session focused on good health and the importance of drinking water. The children ate fruit to emphasize the sweetness of natural products and each class received a tooth immersed in cola to show its effects on teeth.

The second and third session involved a music competition in which classes were challenged to produce a song with a healthy message.

The final session involved art presentations and a classroom quiz based on a TV game show.” …all from an accurate Boston.com summary.

The study appeared in the British Medical Journal earlier this year.

Recently the World Health Organization recommended that free sugars should account for no more than 10% of daily energy intake…which is sensible, as a maximum.

The program is called “Ditch the Fizz“: its Web site is: http://www.b-dec.com/index.asp