East Carolina University (ECU) is proud to partner with North Carolina 4-H, one of the state’s premier youth organizations, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension to sponsor Take Off 4-Health, a healthy lifestyle camp and family-centered program for overweight boys and girls ages 12-18. The 3-week residential camp is held each summer at the beautiful Eastern 4-H Center in Columbia, NC and is supported by the ECU Brody School of Medicine.
The goals of Take Off 4-Health are to teach campers healthy lifestyle habits so they can:
- Lose weight
- Build self esteem
- Reduce their risks for developing chronic disease, and ultimately
- Lead a healthier life.
Take Off 4-Health is not a “fat camp” but a family-centered program designed to help kids adopt lifestyle habits to achieve a healthier weight.
- The three-week summer camp provides a “jump start” for weight loss and an environment to learn and practice healthy lifestyle habits.
- The family-centered support after camp provides the opportunity for continued weight loss over time.
- The camp uses a “small change” approach, immersing campers in an environment that allows them to learn how to make small changes in what they eat and how active they are.
- We believe this approach is ultimately more beneficial than the rapid and dramatic weight loss seen at many traditional “fat camps.” Take Off 4-Health teaches campers how to make lifestyle changes that are sustainable throughout their lives.
We hope you will find this web site helpful as you learn more about Take Off 4-Health and consider weight-loss programs for your child.
*** Due to a lack of funding, the 2012 Take Off 4-Health camp will not be held this summer. Please visit our web site again in spring 2013 to learn more about Take Off 4-Health 2013.
