CAFAP

About The Curtin University Activity, Food and Attitudes Program (CAFAP) is a free eight-week healthy lifestyle program for overweight 12 to 16 years olds that includes families in the approach to changing lifestyles and creating healthy lifelong habits. This means that both parents and teenagers are involved in CAFAP. CAFAP has been running at Curtin University since 2009 and is now moving into local communities. It is run by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals including dietitians, physiotherapists, social workers and psychologists. CAFAP focuses on the development of lifelong healthy habits rather than weight loss, to help teenagers stay in control of their weight for the rest of their lives.
Teenagers is this program right for you? Do you want to: • Look better? • Fit into trendy clothes? • Be involved in physical activities with your friends? • Join a sporting team? • Learn to cook healthy snacks and meals? • Meet new friends? • Feel happier? • Get healthy? • Be more confident in yourself? • Reach your goals? If you answered YES to 2 or more of these questions, then joining CAFAP might be perfect for you! CAFAP can help you to enjoy being active, eat healthily, improve your self-confidence and live a happier and healthier life. For more information, phone Kyla on 9266 3694 or email cafap@curtin.edu.au.	Parents is this program right for them? Do they: • Avoid playing any sport? • Get out of breath or very red in the face during 10 mins of sport? • Have sweating or chafing issues that stops them wanting to do sport? • Spend most of their leisure time watching TV or playing on the computer? • Complain of always being hungry and constantly ask for food? • Eat junk food or fast food every day? • Sneak food? • Skip meals- particularly breakfast? • Eat more than you do? • Drink soft drink every day? • Snore? • Have rolls or folds of skin around their waist? • Wear adult sized clothing? • Look bigger than most of their classmates? • Get teased about their weight? If you answered YES to 3 or more of these questions, then participating in CAFAP might be perfect for you and your teenager! CAFAP can help your teenager enjoy being active, eat healthily, improve their self-confidence and live a happier and healthier life. For more information, phone Kyla on 9266 3694 or email cafap@curtin.edu.au.

About

The Curtin University Activity, Food and Attitudes Program (CAFAP) is a free eight-week healthy lifestyle program for overweight 12 to 16 years olds that includes families in the approach to changing lifestyles and creating healthy lifelong habits. This means that both parents and teenagers are involved in CAFAP.

CAFAP has been running at Curtin University since 2009 and is now moving into local communities. It is run by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals including dietitians, physiotherapists, social workers and psychologists.

CAFAP focuses on the development of lifelong healthy habits rather than weight loss, to help teenagers stay in control of their weight for the rest of their lives.

Teenagers
is this program right for you?

Active teenager

Do you want to:
• Look better?
• Fit into trendy clothes?
• Be involved in physical activities with your friends?
• Join a sporting team?
• Learn to cook healthy snacks and meals?
• Meet new friends?
• Feel happier?
• Get healthy?
• Be more confident in yourself?
• Reach your goals?

If you answered YES to 2 or more of these questions, then joining CAFAP might be perfect for you! CAFAP can help you to enjoy being active, eat healthily, improve your self-confidence and live a happier and healthier life. For more information, phone Kyla on 9266 3694 or email cafap@curtin.edu.au.

Parents
is this program right for them?

Teenager on the couch

Do they:
• Avoid playing any sport?
• Get out of breath or very red in the face during 10 mins of sport?
• Have sweating or chafing issues that stops them wanting to do sport?
• Spend most of their leisure time watching TV or playing on the computer?
• Complain of always being hungry and constantly ask for food?
• Eat junk food or fast food every day?
• Sneak food?
• Skip meals- particularly breakfast?
• Eat more than you do?
• Drink soft drink every day?
• Snore?
• Have rolls or folds of skin around their waist?
• Wear adult sized clothing?
• Look bigger than most of their classmates?
• Get teased about their weight?

If you answered YES to 3 or more of these questions, then participating in CAFAP might be perfect for you and your teenager! CAFAP can help your teenager enjoy being active, eat healthily, improve their self-confidence and live a happier and healthier life. For more information, phone Kyla on 9266 3694 or email cafap@curtin.edu.au.

CAFAP 2012 Curtin University Activity, Food and Attitudes Program will start in February 2012 and run through to the end of March. There will be programs running in each term in 2012 in Midland (north eastern suburb of Perth) and Cockburn Central (southern suburb in Perth). Later in the year there will be a program running in regional WA. These programs will be offered free thanks to generous support from Healthway. Contact Kyla Smith on 9266 3694 or cafap@curtin.edu.au to find out more about the program.

Join Teenagers need to be aged between 12-16 years and have a BMI-for-age above the 85th percentile. Use the USA Government BMI calculator for teenagers. This will tell you your BMI and your BMI-for-age percentile. For example if you are a girl aged 15 years and four months, are 162 cm tall and weigh 65kg you will have a BMI of 24.8, placing you at the 86th BMI-for-age percentile for girls. If your BMI-for-age is above the 85th percentile then you can join CAFAP. Parents will need to attend classes with their children attending two-hourly sessions after school hours twice weekly for eight weeks, see our FAQs for more information. There will be programs running in each term in 2012. Contact Kyla Smith on 9266 3694 or cafap@curtin.edu.au to find out more about the program.

Success stories Lots of the teenagers who have been involved in CAFAP in the last two years have impressed us with the healthy changes they've made. Some teens have found sports and activities that they enjoy and are now more active during the week, some are eating more fruits and vegetables and less junk food, some have made changes to help them feel happier. Lots of families have made household changes that have helped these teens achieve their healthy goals. We know that these guys enjoy the feelings that come with being healthy, and they're determined to keep it up. 18-year-old Jessica Blackburn took part in the holistic health program and saw great results in just two months. "I’ve gone from a size 18 to a size 12. I felt down and lacking in confidence, but now I’m happy and have lots of self-belief. “What was great about the program is that my family were strongly committed to the program and attended classes with me. “With their support I’ve turned my life around and now enjoy jogging, playing tennis, and often have to laugh off jokes from friends about the healthy contents of my lunchbox.”

FAQs What does CAFAP stand for? CAFAP stands for Curtin University's Activity, Food and Attitudes Program. CAFAP focuses on these three components of a healthy lifestyle - Activity (physical and sedentary), Food (to support teenage growth and development) and Attitudes (setting goals and feeling good about yourself). What does it cost? CAFAP is being provided free due to support from Curtin University and a Healthway grant. How long does CAFAP run for? CAFAP runs for eight weeks, during the school term but after school hours. Teenagers and their parents attend two sessions each week during these eight weeks. Sessions run for two hours each time. Participants remain in contact with the program for a further term to help maintain healthy lifestyle changes. Who else is involved in CAFAP? Each CAFAP group will include up to 15 teenagers and their parent(s). Teenagers will train in a group with the physiotherapist. Teenagers will also work in groups to discuss other issues and learn other skills, sometimes just with the other teenagers in their group and sometimes with the parents too. If you are thinking about joining and would feel more comfortable joining with a friend - send them the details of our website - cafap.curtin.edu.au. If your friend qualifies (have a look at who can join CAFAP) then we will do our best to get you in the same group. Parents will get to know each other during group education and support sessions with the physiotherapist, dietitian, psychologist or social worker. Who can join CAFAP? Teenagers need to be aged between 12-16 years and have a BMI-for-age above the 85th percentile. Use the USA Government BMI calculator for teenagers. This will tell you your BMI and your BMI-for-age percentile. For example if you are a girl aged 15 years and four months, are 162 cm tall and weigh 65kg you will have a BMI of 24.8, placing you at the 86th BMI-for-age percentile for girls. If your BMI-for-age is above the 85th percentile then you can join CAFAP. I know what I should be doing to be healthy. Do I really need to join CAFAP? Sometimes just knowing isn't enough. The CAFAP team works really hard to help you and your family actually make the positive changes that will help you to become healthier and happier. You'll develop some great strategies to help you adopt a healthy lifestyle for good! Is CAFAP like the Biggest Loser show that I've watched on TV? The Biggest Loser and similar weight loss TV shows are very popular at the moment and they get people talking about health/weight/exercise and that's a good thing. The problem is that sometimes these shows are unrealistic. For example, the Biggest Loser focuses on adults who are very overweight and puts them in a very abnormal situation. They are training for hours and hours every day, they don't have to go to work or school, they get food cooked for them and they have their own trainers. So it's great that we're thinking and talking about food and exercise, but what we need is something that everyday teenagers, and their families, can be involved in. CAFAP is not like the Biggest Loser, but it can help you to take control of your weight and get healthy! How has CAFAP helped other teenagers? Lots of the teenagers who have been involved in CAFAP in the last 2 years have impressed us with the healthy changes they've made. Some teens have found sports and activities that they enjoy and are now more active during the week, some are eating more fruits and vegetables and less junk food, some have made changes to help them feel happier. Lots of families have made household changes that have helped these teens achieve their healthy goals. We know that these guys enjoy the feelings that come with being healthy, and they're determined to keep it up. Who will be helped by my involvement? Teenagers and their parents who have been involved in CAFAP before have found the program very helpful in providing accurate information and supporting their family to make healthy changes. We are therefore confident that teenagers and their parents will be helped by participating in the program. Participants will also help us continue to improve CAFAP - and so help other teenagers and their families change their habits to get on a better track for life.

FAQs

What does CAFAP stand for?

CAFAP stands for Curtin University's Activity, Food and Attitudes Program. CAFAP focuses on these three components of a healthy lifestyle - Activity (physical and sedentary), Food (to support teenage growth and development) and Attitudes (setting goals and feeling good about yourself).

What does it cost?

CAFAP is being provided free due to support from Curtin University and a Healthway grant.

How long does CAFAP run for?

CAFAP runs for eight weeks, during the school term but after school hours. Teenagers and their parents attend two sessions each week during these eight weeks. Sessions run for two hours each time. Participants remain in contact with the program for a further term to help maintain healthy lifestyle changes.

Who else is involved in CAFAP?

Each CAFAP group will include up to 15 teenagers and their parent(s). Teenagers will train in a group with the physiotherapist. Teenagers will also work in groups to discuss other issues and learn other skills, sometimes just with the other teenagers in their group and sometimes with the parents too. If you are thinking about joining and would feel more comfortable joining with a friend - send them the details of our website - cafap.curtin.edu.au. If your friend qualifies (have a look at who can join CAFAP) then we will do our best to get you in the same group.

Parents will get to know each other during group education and support sessions with the physiotherapist, dietitian, psychologist or social worker.

Who can join CAFAP?

Teenagers need to be aged between 12-16 years and have a BMI-for-age above the 85th percentile. Use the USA Government BMI calculator for teenagers. This will tell you your BMI and your BMI-for-age percentile. For example if you are a girl aged 15 years and four months, are 162 cm tall and weigh 65kg you will have a BMI of 24.8, placing you at the 86th BMI-for-age percentile for girls. If your BMI-for-age is above the 85th percentile then you can join CAFAP.

I know what I should be doing to be healthy. Do I really need to join CAFAP?

Sometimes just knowing isn't enough. The CAFAP team works really hard to help you and your family actually make the positive changes that will help you to become healthier and happier. You'll develop some great strategies to help you adopt a healthy lifestyle for good!

Is CAFAP like the Biggest Loser show that I've watched on TV?

The Biggest Loser and similar weight loss TV shows are very popular at the moment and they get people talking about health/weight/exercise and that's a good thing. The problem is that sometimes these shows are unrealistic. For example, the Biggest Loser focuses on adults who are very overweight and puts them in a very abnormal situation. They are training for hours and hours every day, they don't have to go to work or school, they get food cooked for them and they have their own trainers. So it's great that we're thinking and talking about food and exercise, but what we need is something that everyday teenagers, and their families, can be involved in. CAFAP is not like the Biggest Loser, but it can help you to take control of your weight and get healthy!

How has CAFAP helped other teenagers?

Lots of the teenagers who have been involved in CAFAP in the last 2 years have impressed us with the healthy changes they've made. Some teens have found sports and activities that they enjoy and are now more active during the week, some are eating more fruits and vegetables and less junk food, some have made changes to help them feel happier. Lots of families have made household changes that have helped these teens achieve their healthy goals. We know that these guys enjoy the feelings that come with being healthy, and they're determined to keep it up.

Who will be helped by my involvement?

Teenagers and their parents who have been involved in CAFAP before have found the program very helpful in providing accurate information and supporting their family to make healthy changes. We are therefore confident that teenagers and their parents will be helped by participating in the program. Participants will also help us continue to improve CAFAP - and so help other teenagers and their families change their habits to get on a better track for life.

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