Reducing Sugar Intake Through Education in Children 6-18

Student Participants: Marissa Moniz, Kaitlyn Martin, Kelsey Gay, Anne Bednar, Lucy Mangan, and Kristin Carroll 

It has been identified that close to 50% of the children enrolled at the Blue Hills Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester use some form of insulin and we have also observed various statistics regarding obesity and poor diet among the people living in Dorchester. Obesity is one of the major health indicators of the Dorchester area. This project educated children about the high amounts of sugar in common drinks such as soda, juice and Gatorade, while displaying healthier alternatives for them to try. 

The children began by learning some cardiovascular activities and how to take their pulse afterwards. They were also educated on the healthy range for their pulse. As the children moved forward to the second station, they were educated on how much sugar is in some of the favorite drinks. The kids loved guessing how many sugar cubes (3g of sugar/cube) were in each of their drinks. Their faces when they found out how much sugar were shocked. Some of their favorite drinks were Mountain Dew, Coke, Raspberry Lemonade, Orange Juice, and Root Beer. After showing the kids how much sugar are in their drinks, they were compared to how much sugar they are supposed to have daily (23g). The kids were really involved with guessing and sharing their thoughts. At the third station, the kids learned about some healthy drink alternatives, such as lemon water, cucumber water, two different seltzer water flavors (Mermaid Songs and Unicorn Kisses), as well as plain water that they could add strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries too. The kids really loved engaging in this station and trying all the different drinks available to them. They kept wanting to try and kept asking questions about the different ingredients and about the seltzer water.

At the end of the day, the kids took a poll about their favorite drink and it seemed like Unicorn Kisses seltzer water was the clear winner. It surprised us how many of the kids enjoyed the seltzer water. We had great engagement with the kids and the staff and felt as though the kids really got a lot out of this intervention. Most stated that they would drink these alternative drinks again at home and at school .