iCons Program Coordinator Chaz Nielsen has published a bilingual children's book called Henry Gets Moving that promotes healthy eating and exercise. This is the first in many steps he plans to take to put the brakes on America's rising obesity epidemic.
"iCons is all about solving big problems. The big problem that I want to help solve is childhood obesity," he says.
Nielsen co-authored the book with Dr. Pierre Rouzier, a UMass physician. The duo share a passion for health and wellness. “We wanted a character that kids and their family can related to, who they want to be like,” Rouzier says.
“It’s really more of a family book than a children’s book,” Nielsen says. “There’s messages and appeal for kids and parents. The big idea that we’re promoting is that being healthy is a community activity – not a chore that you do by yourself. When you’re practicing healthy habits with friends and family, it makes the healthy choice the easy choice.”
Nielsen and Rouzier recently visited the Holyoke Head Start program, and were joined by the UMass women’s tennis team who read the book with children. Umass alumnus John F. Kennedy, ‘76G donated 1000 books to be distributed to all the children in the program. The UMass press office reported on the event. You can read the story here.
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