New Online Program Helps Parents Tackle Childho...( Alere's groundbreaking Healthy Kids P...),Health

Alere's groundbreaking Healthy Kids Program offers tools for family health

- Childhood obesity at near epidemic levels; costs estimated at $14 billion annually

- Employers and health plans increasingly bearing the burden of costs

- First of its kind personalized solution that provides tools to help families reduce risk for childhood obesity and helps parents and kids become healthier

MARIETTA, Ga., April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Alere LLC, a leader in personal health support solutions, announced today the introduction of Healthy Kids, a program designed to help parents and caregivers promote healthy habits for children. Launched to employer and health plan clients last week, this groundbreaking program is the first to provide parents with a week-by-week, structured approach to improving family health and reducing risk for childhood obesity.

A Pressing Need

Employers and health plans are increasingly bearing the burden of childhood obesity, which has reached near epidemic levels:

• The national cost of childhood obesity is estimated at $14 billion annually.
• 16 percent of America's school children are overweight or obese.
• Medical treatment for children with obesity averages $3,700 per year.
• Obese children tend to be overweight as adults further adding to the nation's healthcare expenditures.

The root causes of the problem are preventable: poor diet and inactivity. This presents a clear opportunity for organizations to move proactively to address the problem for their populations.

"Giving parents tools, information and behavior change strategies to help them improve the health of their children supports Alere's mission of providing personal health support," says Ron Geraty, M.D., CEO of Alere. "By pr
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