Eat Healthy, Eat Breakfast

Year Awarded: 2001
Project Leaders:
Deborah Grischke, MS, CFCS, Michigan Nutrition Network at MSU; Amy Malow, MS, RD, CNSD, Michigan Nutrition Network at MSU

Project Description: This project was developed to stress to youth the importance and benefits of eating breakfast. The Eat Healthy, Eat Breakfast campaign brought over 200 community partners in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties to sponsor a breakfast for over 20,000 kids on March 9, 2001. The primary objective of the campaign was to increase breakfast eating among 11-15 year old kids through awareness building and programming, and ultimately school performance and overall health among teens. Hundreds of thousands of people in Michigan were exposed not only through schools but also through media and community activities.

Recent Developments:
Recently, the Michigan Nutrition Network, in partnership with FACT, has received over $1,000,000 in grants to implement Family Nutrition Programs in counties across Michigan and to continue promoting breakfast eating among youth and teens. MNN also uses the grant money to continue its broader mission of forming partnerships to improve the nutrition and health of all Michigan consumers.

The tools used for the campaign have now been compiled to create the Eat Healthy. Eat Breakfast Behavior Change Campaign Kit. This kit assists communities in implementing the campaign and establishes lifelong health benefits for kids and their families. It is designed to encourage partnerships, develop community capacity, and impact behavior change. The kit could also be used for comprehensive campaign effort, or individual pieces for smaller promotions and events.

“Eat Healthy. Eat Breakfast. A Behavior Change Campaign” also received 2nd place Conference choice Award from the USDA.

Publications include Food Safety Educator (National Newsletter) Volume 6, No.3, 2001. Partnerships include working with the Ohio Department of Education to possibly implement the campaign in their state.

Resources and Links:

http://www.mss.fcs.msue.msu.edu/EHEB.html