Est. 2023
GOAL
Engage families, especially mothers, in physical activity together to support healthy development for preschool-aged children
IMPACT
- Reached 783 adults and 1,115 children at 65 community events to promote family movement.
- Abby Cecil gave an oral presentation titled, “Co-Designing the Families Moving Together Intervention with Community Stakeholders for Low-Income Families with Preschool-aged Children” at the 2024 Center for Clinical and Translational Science Annual Research Day
- Dee Dlugonski and the Families Moving Together team published a research article describing how the research team designed this program with community partners
NEXT STEPS
Develop and evaluate a curriculum to promote family movement that can be delivered by community facilitators in a variety of settings including childcare centers and Cooperative Extension offices.
Launched in fall 2019, the Girls Can program set out to achieve a simple goal: to empower young girls to become physically active. A free outreach program, part of the Active Women’s Health Initiative at the University of Kentucky Sports Medicine Research Institute (SMRI), encouraged girls to be their healthiest selves by promoting physical activity, healthy eating and more.
The program partnered with community members and businesses to provide children and their families with a variety of physical act opportunities delivered by active role models. Girls Can worked with school administrators, teachers, parent teacher associations, and other organizations to bring active programs to schools. Programs featured a wide range of activities to encourage everyone to find an activity that they enjoy and feel confident doing, inlcuding football skills, yoga, hip hop dance, frisbee, balance activities, and more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Director Dee Dlugonski, initated virtual programming. The Active Women’s Health Initiative received a donation of hula hoops from AWHI advisory board member Kelly Cecil to give to Girls Can participants for free. His daughter, Skyler Cecil, a student at UK and a recreational hula hooper, recorded videos for the program to teach the girls how to hula hoop.
As Dlugonski noted, "We’re saying ‘Girls Can Be Active,’ but so can moms, dads, aunts, and uncles.” The program sparked enthusiasm for physical activity, encouraging the Lexington community to lead healthier lives together. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Girls Can adapted with virtual programming and creative resources. Read more about the program’s impact here.
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