Minorities Encouraged To Go-For Health And Fitness

The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) will launch a series of health ads during the month of February aimed at increasing awareness about good eating habits and physical fitness in minority communities.

The series, entitled Health Notes from NCAE," is slated to run in newspapers across North Carolina. Two smiling, health-conscious gopher mascots -- adorned with the NCAE logo -- star in an ad campaign to encourage the reader to "Go-for" low-fat milk, 100 percent juice and regular exercise, and to make other smart, health-appropriate diet and physical activity choices.

"NCAE wanted to take a different approach to talking about health and fitness," said Eddie Davis, NCAE president. "The ads are directed at the parents of minority youth, but offer a bit of playfulness that adults can use to share this important information with their children. Health is a serious issue, but we can encourage a fun approach to fitness and healthy eating."

Health Notes from NCAE includes three half-page newspaper ads and one full-page ad that cover the following information: increasing physical activity; eating fruits and vegetables; healthy beverage choices; and an overall message of how healthy eating and exercise can be a part of every child's life at every stage of development.

"Research indicates that Black, American Indian and Hispanic children are more at risk for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, and are more likely to suffer from poor health," Davis said. "Our focus on health also recognizes the importance of children coming to school 'ready-to-learn.' As educators, we can't emphasize enough the message that healthy children make good students."