Hawken Seniors Offer Solutions for Childhood Obesity

The Big Picture website, created by four seniors at Hawken Upper School, offers locally useful information to address childhood obesity in Northeast Ohio.

The Big Picture offers local solutions ranging from simple activities to family excursions.

Hawken's Senior Seminar program challenges students to conduct in-depth research on a regional issue, and independently create a community-accessible solution.   The Big Picture team responded by assembling a multi-faceted approach to preventing and reducing childhood obesity.  Their site offers information, recipes, outdoor activities and links to other resources.

"To create a website that focuses on reducing and preventing childhood obesity in Northeast Ohio, we did extensive background research and conducted numerous interviews. We used information from medical professionals, parents, children, and educators to determine the best and easiest ways of stopping this epidemic. The process of interviewing and researching for a month, helped us find reliable and credible information."

Participants noted a change in their outlook as a result of the project.

"As we researched about nutrition, exercise, and solutions of obesity, we learned to take small steps in our lives to strive for a healthier lifestyle."

The Big Picture website can be found at:

http://classes.hawken.edu/bigpicture/The_Big_Picture.html