The Food Friends®: Get Movinâ With Mighty Moves was developed at Colorado State University in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Program messages and components have been thoroughly researched and tested. Get Movin With Mighty Moves is target audience driven. Preschoolers, parents, and teachers had, and still have, a tremendous amount of input into the program. The graphics were chosen by kids; program concepts, such as having the Food Friends live, work and play in a town (Healthadelphia) were developed by teachers; and parents gave input into how program messages and materials would be most useful in helping them to promote physical activity at home. The program was designed with feedback from experts in the fields of health promotion, exercise science, occupational therapy, and child development. Mighty Moves is designed to promote physical activity and enhance gross motor development among preschool-aged children. Mighty Moves has shown significant increases in preschoolersâ gross motor skills and physical fitness when compared to a control group. The Food Friends: Get Movinâ With Mighty Moves program, in concert with the Fun with New Foods nutrition program, can play a role in establishing healthful behaviors during the early childhood years. Establishing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors early may play a role in addressing the overweight and obesity problem in both children and adults, thus decreasing the risk for chronic disease later in
