LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Brings Science-Backed Childhood Obesity Prevention Into 32 Louisiana Schools, Preschools
Summary
Baton Rouge, LA, March 27, 2025 --( PR.com )-- Designed to reach children in the environments they know best—both at home and at school—Greaux Healthy delivers a broad range of resources to parents, teachers, physicians, and others. Another Pennington Biomedical study from 2023 showed how painted playgrounds can increase movement and improve motor skills, and this has since become an inexpensive environmental intervention in preschools. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of similar examples.“Greaux Healthy is focused on the nutrition as well as the active part, which is what I like,” said Anderson Briggs, a physical education teacher at Glen Oaks Park Elementary in East Baton Rouge Parish who wanted to be among the first to implement the new program based on the needs he saw in his own school and community. It’s about translating what works to the people who need it most” said Melissa Martin, registered dietitian and director of Greaux Healthy.So far, Pennington Biomedical’s Greaux Healthy program for early childhood education has been implemented at 10 centers in East Baton Rouge (Country Day with three locations: North Boulevard, Congress Boulevard, and Silverside; Robyn’s Nest; Southside Child Development Center; Baton Rouge Christian Academy; Second Baptist Christian Academy; YWCA Early Learning Center Capitol Elementary; New Horizon Head Start; and Young Scholars Academy) and one in Tangipahoa Parish (Noah’s Ark).The program for elementary and middle schools has been implemented in 15 schools in East Baton Rouge (Baker Heights, Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery, Brownfields, Cedarcrest-Southmoor, Claiborne, Glen Oaks Park, Highland, La Belle Aire, Merrydale, Northeast, Prescott, Progress, Sharon Hills, Southern University Lab School, and Zachary), four in Caddo Parish (Creswell, Judson Magnet, Midway, Westwood), one in Lafayette Parish (Willow Charter Academy), and one in Rapides Parish (Poland Jr. High).Additional programs for new parents, families, communities, healthcare providers, and teens are in development. Pennington Biomedical and Greaux Healthy also recently announced a new, downloadable Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Toolkit for medical professionals.