Program Overview

Young Marathon Runner's of America (YMRA) is designed to produce a culture shift towards health & wellness living. Our strategies will focus on obesity prevention (ages 12 to17), increased awareness, and youth advocacy. Marathons consist of 26.2 miles. However, the participant will not complete a marathon in one event. The participant will run 2.9 miles each month for 9 months. YMRA has four primary objectives in targeting obesity among the youth. The organization will raise obesity awareness, obesity prevention, promote health and wellness, and implement measurable programs.

Obesity awareness is intended to expand and awaken the consciousness within the community on the obesity epidemic among our youth. This aim will be attained in several ways. First, the organization will offer athletic facilities educational and statistical data that addresses obesity. Second, meetings will be scheduled to coordinate with local physicians in order to screen possible participants for the program. Lastly, YMRA will collaborate with community based organizations and churches to increase the attentiveness to childhood obesity. While elevating the levels of awareness, we desire to provide a solution with a prevention based approach.

Reversing the prevalence of childhood obesity cases is structured at the core of YMRA's policies. Several strategies have been designed to directly impact the program participants and their parents. First, YMRA will educate parents on risks of a sedentary lifestyle, importance of nutrition based meals and ideas of family focused physical activities. Also, the youth will be taught how to safely participate in physical activities, develop ways to increase self-esteem, and identify weight- loss goals.

Finally, the organization will rely on an online community to post individual health biographies, provide peer support within YMRA, and require personal journaling to track individual progress. These strategies for intervention and prevention will be customized for each participant by utilizing the assessments during the milestone challenges.

The health and wellness objective allows the organization to use an evaluation model to assess the health status and intervention needed for each participant. An examination will be given to obtain scientific information related to obesity. Information includes the body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, height, weight, blood glucose level, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation levels. A tracking tool will also be implemented based on the examination to monitor the effectiveness of the program. Additionally, YMRA will offer demonstrative classes, such as preparation of nutritional and portion sized meals and performing pre-exercising stretching activities. Lastly, the organization will present character building classes to encourage the youth to increase self-esteem and define their identity. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the program, it is important that outcomes are measurable.

Evaluating data is the primary focus of YMRA and its community based programs. Therefore, quantitative and qualitative data will be collected periodically. Quarterly evaluations will be completed to recognize the participant's willingness to change his/her health profile. The organization will also observe the effectiveness of the classes provided through surveys and assessment tools.