Boys & Girls Club of Pharr receives aid from the state to fight childhood obesity

PHARR — Children regularly walk into the Boys & Girls Club of Pharr with a bag of chips and a 44-ounce soft drink as a meal, said Executive Director Alfredo Mata Jr.

Mata hopes to change that.

The organization is joining the fight against childhood obesity through a nutrition outreach program called Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids, which offers classes to both children and their parents.

The initiative received a $5,000 boost Monday from the Texas Department of Agriculture to continue the club’s efforts. The money was part of a $414,000 grant distributed among 112 school campuses and community organizations to help establish better health and nutrition practices.

 “Families today are surrounded by so many different food choices,” Mata said. “Decisions are made based on what is efficient and economical, and in a world of dollar menus and meal deals, the obvious choice is fast food.”

Loaded with saturated fat, sodium, sugars and artificial color and flavor, the foods have had drastic effects, Mata said.

According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the obesity rate has doubled since 1980 for adults and has tripled for children.

Texas is one of the worst states when it comes to obesity, with 66.8 percent of adults considered overweight or obese in 2009, compared to 63.8 percent nationwide, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Meanwhile, a 2009 study, compiled by the Texas state demographer and released by the Texas Health Institute, predicts that nearly half the population in Hidalgo County will be obese by 2040.

Mata and his staff are working to reduce that rate.

“It’s the parents who shop for groceries and prepare meals,” he said. “That’s why we feel it is necessary to educate not only children but their parents as well.”

The two-part program offers classes for both children and their parents. The youngsters participate in the Healthy Habits Program, which has an evidence-based curriculum, Mata said.

 The children meet three times a week for an hour to prepare a healthy snack and learn about the different food groups and healthier meal choices they can make.

“We also use the help of technology,” Mata said. “We log on to USDA.gov (the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website) and do some of the activities on their website.”

Once the hour-long session is completed, the group engages in physical activity.

“We have a different sport ever week,” Mata said. “We play all kinds of sports like volleyball, basketball, kickball and soccer.”

Mata also said about 20 mothers meet once a week to participate in parent nutrition classes, where they are taught to prepare a healthy meal and learn about the food pyramid, portion sizes and how to encourage their children to stay active.

The club also partnered with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley to give mothers a box of food at the end of the class so they can try making the meals at home.

Mata said the club will use the extra cash to purchase kitchen appliances and more food to keep the program going.

“Nutrition education is important,” Mata said. “But it is not until the family is included that we will see results.”

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Naxiely Lopez covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4434.