Healthy exercise for youth offered

FALLBROOK — The Diabetes Exercises Task Force has started its fall season and will offer healthy fun, exercise and games for local youth at Fallbrook Foursquare Church, 405 West Fig Street. Pastor Jerome Rilling has graciously offered his facility for the health-related project.

AVID program teens from Fallbrook High School have volunteered to tackle the exercise component of Type 2 diabetes prevention by developing games and activities to reach out to local youngsters to increase their physical wellbeing.

Now in its third year, the project has been generously funded by the Fallbrook Healthcare District, Fallbrook Rotary and many members of the healthcare community who have come together voluntarily to support this effort.

Type 2 diabetes, once considered an adult disease, is now found in children as young as 2 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one out of every three children born in the year 2000 will be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

From the state-mandated BMI screenings at the fifth grade level at Live Oak and La Paloma elementary schools, the project has identified children who are at risk. The findings exceed the risk rate found in the general California population.

The program is available to local youth on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Program Coordinator Pat Sica, along with adult mentors, will provide supervision to children ages 5 to 15. Healthy snacks will be provided.