Teaching Kids Healthy Habits With Consumable Information

Inside an elementary school, students count 20 big gulps as they drink water.

Outside, they run and chase color-changing Frisbees flying through the air.

It’s all part of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital’s Healthy Kids Club. The year-round program blends education and play at schools and summer camps across 18 counties.

Instead of teaching kids about ounces and teaspoons, community health staff explain making healthy choices in ways children easily understand: in gulps of water and playing outside for at least as long as it takes to watch an episode of “Bluey.”

“We have kids count to 20 to show them gulps versus ounces because they can understand that,” said Natalia Havasy, director of marketing and community benefit at the hospital. “Our staff translates information to be more consumable so kids can learn how to be healthy and safe.”

The 12-week program offers weekly sessions starting with 30 minutes of food and hydration education followed by 30 minutes of physical activity. The initiative promotes healthy habits to help prevent diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol in children.

In one lesson, 40 participants learn what foods give them energy. Instructors go through “yes” or “no” foods, explaining why protein gives them energy and how sugar can slow them down.

Staff also bring a variety of healthy foods to introduce students to something different.

“Kids might not try these foods at home, but they will try it for the instructors,” Havasy said. “It's exciting for them to go through different items, even if they don’t end up liking it.”

Once they switch and begin a physical activity, elementary schoolers get their heart pumping playing popcorn, dancing, or moving with giant parachutes and hula hoops.

As obesity and poor nutrition increasingly impact children worldwide, this early intervention emphasizes the importance of eating healthy and staying physically active. Pre- and post-assessments have shown a 45% increase in psychical fitness and nutrition knowledge for participating kids.

In the first six months of 2025, the Healthy Kids Club has reached nearly 300 children with growing interest from partners and educators.

And thanks to a grant from Dick’s House of Sport, the program is enhancing its resources and reaching more schools.

“We’ve been able to serve more children and purchase better nutritional food because of this grant,” Havasy said. “We were able to buy extra items and give kids collapsible protein bowls that show how much to put in the bowl to keep bellies full.”

Soon, Havasy hopes to offer incentives for kids to remember and engage in the lessons, such as engagement points or extra swag items for recalling a key message.

As hospital staff work closely with schools and community-based organizations, Havasy plans to expand and include a four-week after-school program and a 10-week summer camp at a local gym.

“We know from our physicians and teams that there is such a need for this program,” Havasy said. “We continue to mold it so we can engage kids in the best way and continue to see its community impact.”

In response to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report on child health, the Children’s Hospital Association is showcasing ways children’s hospitals are helping children live longer and healthier lives by confronting the root causes of chronic illnesses.