The Traffic Light Childhood Weight Control Program

The Traffic Light Childhood Weight Control and Prevention Program™ is an after school program that is offered to students in the 5th and 6th grades. The Branford School Based Health Center at Walsh Intermediate School has organized this initiative designed for adolescents that are at risk for the health consequences associated with childhood obesity.

Twelve students are selected to join the program following parent referral and physical assessments. The Traffic Light Program™ begins in the fall and runs for twelve weeks. A second session starts in February and continues into the spring. Students exercise after school two times a week for thirty minutes under the guidance of a Physical Education teacher. In addition, once a week participants meet with a Registered Dietician from Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Department of Food and Nutrition to learn about healthy eating. In addition, a student’s weight and health status is monitored by a nurse practitioner weekly. Parents of students participating in the program are encouraged to attend most sessions.

The purpose of this program is to target Branford’s youth who are overweight and to assist them in learning improved lifestyle practices. The goal is to use an after school format to reduce their health risks for childhood obesity and excess weight as they grow into adulthood.

The challenge in childhood obesity is to provide a healthy eating plan for children that promotes growth and focuses on maintaining an appropriate weight. In a growing child, it is important to consume all major nutrients, in the recommended amounts.

The Traffic Light Eating Plan supplies instruction that allows participants to maintain a proper weight for the rest of their lives. It is based on the Food Guide Pyramid and incorporates energy density to ensure you get the most nutrients for the fewest calories. This eating plan divides foods from each group into categories based on the colors of a Traffic Light--GREEN, YELLOW and RED. These colors mean the same in our diet as they do on the road.

GREEN means GO! Choose as many GREEN foods as possible in your meal plan!
GREEN foods have low energy density (less calories for a greater amount of food) and are very low in fat (0-1 gram per serving) and concentrated sugar. There are GREEN foods in all five main food groups to help you make better choices and get more nutrition for the number of calories you eat. You will make your best nutritional choices by eating mostly GREEN foods.

YELLOW means CAUTION! Eat in limited amounts!
YELLOW foods have higher energy density, with slightly more fat (2-5 grams per serving), but are still good sources of nutrition. You must eat some YELLOW foods to have a balanced diet. However, since they have more fat and higher energy density, you should approach YELLOW foods with caution.

RED means STOP! Stop and think before you eat!
RED foods have high energy density (a lot of calories for their volume), and provide fewer nutrients for their calories because of their high fat content (greater than 5 grams per serving), or concentrated sugar content than GREEN or YELLOW foods. Some RED foods do contain important nutrients, but their energy density is high.

The Traffic Light Childhood Weight Control Program™ comes to Branford from the University at Buffalo and is one of the most successful weight loss programs for children and their parents. Children and parents learn about appropriate portions sizes, calories, setting up the environment to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Parents are taught skills such as praise, limiting access to high-fat foods, and other strategies to promote weight loss.

The East Shore District Health Department (ESDHD) has been a local presence as an advocate for the health of the community for over 34 years. The East Shore Health District Health Department and its board of directors have made a commitment to assist in the fight against obesity, particularly in our youth.

The Branford School Based Health Centers (SBHC) has been a strong presence in the Branford community for fourteen years. The SBHC mission is to assist in the attainment of physical and mental well-being of children and adolescents living in Branford. To accomplish this mission the SBHC program provides medical and mental health care services, as part of the Yale New Hospital health care system. While there are many factors that affect the health outcomes of youth, obesity is considered by many public health experts to be one of the nation's principle cause of preventable death. The purpose of this program is to document success in addressing obesity in a school setting. The benchmarks of success are increase in knowledge, life style behavior change and improvement in fitness level.

As a partnership between the SBHC and the ESHD the Traffic Light Program™ represents a collaboration that has the potential to make a difference in the life of children. Funding was received from the ALCOA Foundation to support this initiative and the Department of Public Health.

For more information about this program call:
Branford School Based Health Center: (203) 315-3534
East Shore District Health Department: (203) 481-4233