A local university is getting national funding to help prevent childhood obesity. The American Cancer Society has awarded a 250-thousand dollar grant to the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.
The school will use the money to further study a local pilot project using what’s called, “Motivational Interviewing” to improve healthy behaviors in children. The idea is for health care providers to partner with families in improving their lifestyles rather than telling them what to do.
The two-year study begins this month and involves 12 offices within three healthcare systems serving in Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. More than 36-percent of Peoria area children and adolescence are considered overweight while more than 19-percent are obese. Both are above the national average.