Mind, Exercise, Nutrition...Do it! (MEND) Program

Established in 2004, the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition… Do it! Program, also known as the MEND program, was created in order to educate different families and communities about the risks of obesity. The goal of MEND is to reduce global obesity levels by offering free healthy living programs through communities and allowing families to learn about weight management. The MEND program focuses on educating children at an early age about healthy living and providing parents with solutions on how to promote good habits at home.

The program works with various local organizations in communities and provides them with support, training, and equipment so people can make healthier choices. The program allows families to manage their weight “by addressing the three components necessary for individual-level behavioral change; (i) education (ii) skills training, and (iii) motivational enhancement.” MEND helps educate entire communities about the importance of healthy habits and it costs less than treating the problem at an individual level.

The goal of the MEND program is to reduce obesity levels in children by offering free healthy living programs that aim to encourage small lifestyle changes that improve health.

The MEND program was successful in reducing waist circumferences and BMI scores while increasing cardiovascular fitness, physical activity, and self esteem in children placed within the intervention group. The results of this study suggest that the MEND program is a promising intervention to combat rising child obesity rates.

Results from the randomized controlled trial on the MEND program showed that obese children in the intervention group had successfully reduced their waist circumferences and BMI scores while also gaining sustainable benefits in cardiovascular fitness, physical activity levels, and overall self-esteem. Among the 117 children that were recruited for the study, 60 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 56 were included in the control group. Of those in the intervention group, 54 children started and completed the intensive 9-week MEND program, while 62% returned for a follow-up at 6 months and 83% at either 6 or 12 months.

Overall, the high mean attendance rate of 86% suggests the acceptability and promising effects of this family-based community intervention. In fact, at 6 months, both circumference and BMI z-scores of children in the intervention decreased significantly (p-value<0.0001) compared to the small change in results among controls (p-value=0.3 and 0.8 respectively). Meanwhile, significant between-group differences were also observed in most of the secondary outcomes (like recovery heart rate and reduced sedentary activity), which indicates longer-term improvement in fitness and lifestyle as well as improved psychological health among those participating in the program. In the end, the MEND program was effective in reducing the degree of adiposity in children and the benefits gained from this study was maintained up to 9 months after participants completed the intensive phase of the intervention.