Healthy You

• Over the past three decades, the obesity rate has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003–2004) shows that approximately 18 percent of children aged 6 to 19 years old are overweight.  

In 2007 and 2008, as part of a study called Can Children's Literature Promote Healthy Lifestyles? a group of tweens enrolled in The Duke Healthy Lifestyles Program read Lake Rescue, the sixth book in the Beacon Street Girls series. Lake Rescue incorporates healthy lifestyle tips and features an overweight girl as one of the central characters. According to the study, girls who read Beacon Street Girls books decreased their Body Mass Index (BMI) significantly more than other girls in the study.

Read more about Lake Rescue and the Duke Children's Hospital study!
 
This kind of proof around a non-invasive intervention could have a major impact on how doctors and nutrition professionals deal with overweight and obese children. In addition, for the first time, our company has more than just anecdotal information on how our books help girls.

Our popular preteen girl book series and website address a lot of issues – ranging from friendship and social issues to childhood obesity to cyber-bullying and Internet gossip. Research and advice from top experts (from Duke, Harvard, Children's Hospital, Boston) get blended into our entertaining books and website but kids don’t see it, they just think it is a fun website and book series.  
 
Below are just a few examples of the type of "Healthy You" information available from the Beacon Street Girls. We actively promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. If you are an organization interested in helping kids get more active, we want to hear from you! Use our contact form to tell us what you are doing or how you think we can work together.

Read the study published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.