Mississippi Baptist and Mississippi Children’s Museum Host 120 Kindergartners for Fitness Program

Jackson, Miss., –Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and Mississippi Children’s Museum hosted 120 kindergartners from Clinton Park Elementary for a free Fit for Fun class.

Baptist Healthplex Fitness Instructor Dwanda Moore led the class, which teaches participants about nutrition, fitness and movement.

“We know overweight and obesity are serious health concerns for children and adults in Hinds County,” said Caitlin Hayden, community relations coordinator for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. “These issues can affect the long-term health of our children. But through our Fit for Fun partnership with Mississippi Children’s Museum, we hope to teach our children healthy habits at a young age that they will continue to practice throughout their lifetime.”

Mississippi Baptist Medical Center has sponsored the Fit for Fun program since 2018. The weekly hour-long program is typically held at the Mississippi Children’s Museum on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. and educates students about healthy eating habits and fitness through engaging and fun activities.

“This is an important partnership and program for Mississippi children,” said Sheri Bradford, Assistant Director of Enrichment for Mississippi Children’s Museum. “The knowledge and skills students learn today can affect their long-term health and cognitive growth. We want to encourage positive behviors and support the physical and emotional well-being of Mississippi’s children.”

According to the Mississippi Department of Education’s Office of Healthy Schools, 40 percent of Mississippi Children are overweight or obese, which contributes to major chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. It is also believed that overweight children miss more school days and demonstrate lower academic performance, and have an 80 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.

For more information about the Fit for Fun program, please visit www.mschildrensmuseum.org/events/event/fitforfun/.

On May 1, 2017, Mississippi Baptist Health Systems signed a shared mission agreement with Baptist Memorial Health Care, which is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Baptist Memorial is the largest not-for-profit health care provider in the Mid-South with hospitals in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. As a result of the shared mission agreement, Baptist Memorial became Mississippi’s fourth largest employer and the largest health care system in the state. Baptist Memorial hospitals offer patients in rural and urban areas access to the region’s largest network of doctors and specialists, as well as access to Epic―one of the country’s most sophisticated electronic health record systems. For more information, please visit www.mbhs.org or contact the Baptist Health Line at 1-800-948-6262 or 601-948-6262.