Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition (WE CAN)

Fight Childhood Obesity, Participate in WE CAN 

We would like to extend to you an invitation to join Harris County Public Health (HCPH) in our fight against childhood obesity. In partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Yale University's School of Medicine, the Harris County Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention (NCDP) division presents We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition): a science-based national education program that empowers and teaches parents, caregivers, kids and communities ways to eat healthier, increase physical activity, and limit screen time to help maintain a healthy weight.

For Individuals:

If you are an individual interested in participating in the We Can! program, please see the calendar for dates and times of events near you. We look forward to seeing you there!

For Groups:

If you are an organization interested in bringing the We Can! program to your location, please contact (713) 439-6082 for scheduling. If you would like to see a We Can! session in action, please feel free to sit in on any event!

Want to attend one of our events listed on our calendar?  Print our Intake Form and bring the completed form with you to the event.

Click here for an English or Spanish flyer about Healthy Lifestyle Classes in the We Can! program. 

Individuals and organizations are both invited to attend the open events.

WE CAN Program Information

We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition) is a public outreach and education program of the National Institutes of Health focused on helping children stay at a healthy weight.  HCPH’s trained We Can! Facilitators implement the program as follows:

• Children ages 5-18 and their parents, residing in Harris County are eligible to participate.
• Participants are involved in 4 ninety-minute sessions that cover the following:
  • Session 1 provides an overview of the program and why weight is an important health issue for many Americans today.
  • Session 2 introduces the concept of energy balance, and explores two issues that have a big impact on the equation – portion size and time spent in physical activity every day.
  • Session 3 provides examples of ENERGY IN realities of everyday life by showing how participants can cut back on fat and added sugar.
  • Session 4 gives participants strategies for improving ENERGY OUT by increasing physical activity and reducing screen time.
• Physical activity and nutrition education are incorporated into the We Can! Sessions
• Sessions are limited to 15-20 participants per session