HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Texas 4-H through Prairie View A&M Universitys Cooperative Extension Program and UnitedHealthcare announced a new partnership to promote healthy living and empower youth to help fight the nations obesity epidemic.

The partnership, called Eat4-Health, is activating thousands of 4-H youth ambassadors to make healthy choices for themselves and encourage friends, families and people in their communities to make positive changes through training, creative programs and educational events. It currently spans 10 states, including Texas.

At the partnership launch in Houston, more than 500 4-H youth, families and community leaders from Harris County came together for a Back to School-Back to Health event to promote health, fitness and healthy living. UnitedHealthcares mascot Dr. Health E. Hound was on hand to lead participants in healthy exercises and participate in gardening activities. Representatives from UnitedHealthcare presented a $30,000 check to Prairie View A&M University officials and 4-H youth to launch the program.

The event took place at The Last Organic Outpost, a Houston area community garden, and featured hands-on gardening demonstrations, healthy-cooking classes and educational presentations by 4-H members on making healthy food choices. Exercise activities included Zumba and swing out dancing classes, a fitness challenge, and swing out dancing routines that encouraged attendees to participate in simple, fun group activities designed to burn calories and promote health. Participating families received bags of fresh produce donated by the Houston Food Bank and Target Hunger.

Establishing healthy habits is a step toward healthy lifestyles, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said. Private-sector partnerships like Eat4-Health are great examples of how we can help reverse the escalating trend toward obesity and the costly effect it is having on our nation. I commend the Eat4-Health partnership for empowering our youth to make healthy living a priority. This project complements my initiative, the 3Es of Healthy Living Education, Exercise and Eating Right which calls on parents and children to adopt healthy eating choices and lifestyle habits. These positive initiatives benefit our personal health as well as our states economic health.

Eat4-Health builds on UnitedHealthcares successful partnership with National 4-H Council that began last year in Florida, Mississippi and Texas. The campaign is expanding to Arizona, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee. Each participating state 4-H organization is receiving a $30,000 grant funded by UnitedHealthcare to support healthy-living programs, events and other activities administered by 4-H that encourage young people and their families to eat more nutritious foods and exercise regularly. The partnership in Texas is being administered through the Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program.

Prairie View A&M University is proud to partner with UnitedHealthcare again this year to promote healthy living among 4-H youth and their families, said Dr. Alton B. Johnson, Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and Administrator of the Cooperative Extension Program. We are excited to continue this important work together and use this grant to support 4-H programs that help educate communities about these important messages. Todays event is a perfect example of how we can make a positive impact.

We are fortunate to once again work together with 4-Hers here in Texas to help make a difference in the lives of so many families in the state, said Norine Yukon, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas. UnitedHealthcare and 4-H look forward to continuing this partnership that is harnessing the energy and excitement of 4-H youth to promote healthy living.

Participating 4-H state programs receiving a grant are developing action plans that provide innovative, hands-on learning approaches that target specific community needs in their state. Many of these activities will support healthy-living programs led by 4-H that encourage youth and community participation through events such as health fairs, cooking demonstrations, after-school programs, workshops and educational forums, among others. UnitedHealthcare employees will team up with 4-H at many of these events, assisting with planning and executing projects that lead to positive, sustainable change at the community and individual level.

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Texas 4-H Youth and UnitedHealthcare Launch Partnership at "Back to School-Back to Health" Event in Houston to Promote ...