Healthy Grand Families

In 2007-2009, the HCHF program added the Healthy Grand Families component -- an intergenerational pilot demonstration that engaged grandparents as key influences in the lives of their grandchildren for making healthy choices.  Key to the success of any program to achieve its desired results includes being family-centered, community-based, and culturally competent.  Adding the Grand Families component completed the critical circle of partners to improve making and supporting healthier choices – the family, community, and health professionals.  This initiative was developed in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Generations United.  It features the pediatrician as an educator in a community setting, reaching out to grandparents in their own neighborhoods employing a culturally competent health literacy approach. 

The Grandparent’s Guide to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: A practical, fun, easy-to-use guide for raising healthy grandchildren.

Download Grandparent Guide (English)

Download Grandparent Guide (Spanish)

Program Results

Based on a series of focus groups with grandparents, national expert advice, professional literature review, and community input the following outcomes resulted through support from MetLife Foundation for the year 2007-2008.

• A series of  pediatrician-facilitated workshops with outcomes based on: Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Activities, Healthy Portions, Healthy Messages, Healthy Screen Time, Healthy Eating In and Out, all targeting Grand Families were designed and implemented.
• An accompanying Grandparent’s Guide to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: A Practical Fun, Easy-to-Use Guide for Raising Healthy Grandchildren was also designed and utilized.
• Recruitment of pediatricians from Affiliate Chapters of the AAP (Texas, Illinois, and New York City).
• The training of pediatrician facilitators via phone conferencing utilizing an on-line audio power point presentation.
• Grandparent workshop participants were recruited through community and school-based organizations.
• A pre-post survey based on program outcomes was designed and tested.
• An expert panel to include GU representation and AAP expert review was used to finalize program materials.

Proposed Future Vision and Plan

• Expand the program and develop a national model

• Enhance community pediatric education to include state-of-the-art information on nutrition, physical activity and grandparent-specific content

Consequently, we are seeking support for a demonstration effort to assess the best approaches for reaching larger numbers of grandparents, community groups and pediatricians.