CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The College of Education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will co-sponsor a Family Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at the Antonio E. Garcia Arts & Education Center at 2021 Agnes St.
The fair, designed to encourage healthy, active family lifestyles, is free and open to the public. It will include demonstrations of nutritious recipes geared toward kids’ tastes, health screenings geared toward adults, and opportunities to interact with local health-related community agencies.

Families from the Early Childhood Development Center, Evans, Lamar, Menger, Oak Park, Prescott, Shaw, T.G. Allen, and Zavala elementary schools have been invited to participate. The event was conceived by Garcia Center Director Dr. Robert Garcia, County Commissioners Betty Jean Longoria and Peggy Banales and Corpus Christi Food Bank Director Bea Hanson as a way to educate parents about the importance of nutrition and exercise in their children’s lives.

“These types of events are extremely beneficial,” said Garcia. “With obesity rates on the rise, the importance of regular exercise and proper nutrition needs to be stressed to our community. The benefits of regular exercise and proper nutrition include improved health, increased muscle strength, reduced cholesterol levels, reduced blood pressure, and reduced risk of major illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.”

According to the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 are overweight. Between 1988-1994 and 2003-2004, overweight children ages 2 to 5 increased from 7.2 to 13.9 percent and overweight children ages 6 to 11 increased from 11 to 19 percent. During the same period, overweight adolescents ages 12 to 19 increased from 11 to 17 percent.

The Antonio E. Garcia Arts & Education Center is affiliated with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Other event participants include Driscoll’s Children’s Hospital and the Coastal Bend Blood Center, as well as other health-related community agencies. For more information, call 361.882.7837.