WASHINGTON — The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (H.W.C.F.) has partnered with media companies Discovery Education and Meredith Corp. to help parents, educators, and children address childhood obesity.

As part of the initiative, the H.W.C.F. has launched Internet-based outreach campaigns with both Discovery Education and Meredith to encourage and promote physical activity and healthy eating, especially among children. The on-line campaigns address rising levels of childhood obesity and are designed to support children whether at home with their families or at school with their teachers. The campaigns also feature an interface that allows users to transition between the web sites, creating a user experience educating parents and children, no matter where they are, about healthy food choices, eating tips, and physical activities.


“Parents and educators are concerned about the threat of child obesity and interested in practical ideas about how to help kids take fewer calories in and burn more out,” said Lisa Gable, executive director of the H.W.C.F. “This partnership will give parents and educators the tools they need to help combat child obesity.”

The H.W.C.F. and Discovery Education campaign is available at www.energybalance101.com and leverages Discovery Education’s communications expertise and ability to provide educators with tools to help their students. Discovery Education’s digital services are currently available in over half of U.S. schools.

“We are pleased to join in partnership with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and Meredith Corp. in this effort, and are excited to launch Energy Balance 101, which brings a variety of free resources designed to help combat childhood obesity to children, educators, and parents across the country,” said John Whyte, M.D., chief medical expert, Discovery Communications.

The H.W.C.F. and Meredith campaign is located at www.parents.com/hwcf and leverages Meredith’s position as a leading media and marketing company focused on women. Meredith’s media brands, which reach more than 75 million women and 21 million mothers, include Parents, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies’ Home Journal and Family Circle.

“This web program offers healthy snacking tips, advice on reading food labels, suggestions about ways to exercise as a family and more,” said Kara Corridan, health editor at Parents.

In addition to the partnerships with Discovery and Meredith, the H.W.C.F. said it is launching a web site — YourWellnessAdvantage.com – with the National Business Group on Health. According to the H.W.C.F., the site is designed to motivate employers to make it a priority to encourage health consciousness in their workplaces and healthy living among their employees, with a strong focus on reducing obesity. The site is expected to be especially helpful to small and mid-size companies.

The H.W.C.F. was launched last October with a goal of reducing obesity by 2015. The coalition comprises more than 80 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, sporting goods, insurance, trade associations and NGOs. The coaltion focuses on three critical areas: the marketplace, the workplace and schools.