Healthy Futures Program

A new program has been developed by Cleveland Clinic Sports Health to influence young people to adopt healthier lifestyles. Known as Healthy Futures, the program identifies social and environmental factors that influence poor health practices in youth. It empowers 8-12-year-old participants with the knowledge and motivation to make informed decisions regarding their personal health, activity level and well-being through a 10-week intervention that has been developed to meet national health education standards. The Healthy Futures program has been successfully implemented in both community settings such as the Boys & Girls Club (2007) as well as local school districts (2008). Trained medical professionals, led by Paul Gubanich, MD, of the Orthopaedic & Rheumatologic Institute, deliver the program in weekly 30-minute sessions. Healthy Futures will be adding new school districts and community sites in 2009, along with the development of a new outcomes survey and the integration of accelerometers to improve the assessment process.