NEW YORK, May 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Kidney
Foundation (NKF) launches Your Kidneys and Youth, an online
educational program that teaches children in grades 5 to 8 how
their kidneys work, ways to keep their kidneys healthy, and basic
information about kidney disease. Five kid-friendly educational
videos, narrated by Angelica Hale of
America's Got Talent fame, are available at kidney.org/kids
as well as a teacher toolkit, suggestions for youth to demonstrate
or teach others what they have learned and additional activities
for children ages 3 and up. The goal of the program is to help
children develop healthy habits early to reduce their risk of
developing kidney disease later in life.
"Kidney disease is a public health crisis affecting 37 million
people in the U.S., 10,000 of whom are children," said Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney
Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient. "This program
will help children form healthy habits at an early age, so they are
practicing early prevention efforts without even realizing it and
learning how their kidneys actually work in a fun, engaging way. We
hope by teaching children healthy habits we will also reach their
parents, too."
Hale, a kidney transplant patient and NKF's Kid Ambassador,
narrated all five educational videos in a fun, upbeat, and
interesting way to get kids excited about learning how to take
charge of their health. The five educational videos cover the
following topics: Lesson 1 – Learn about kidneys, covers
what the kidneys are and their functions in the body; Lesson
2 – Healthy eating, covers the importance of eating fresh,
unprocessed foods with little to no sodium in the diet; Lesson
3 – Choose water, covers the importance of water as a healthy
beverage and the impact of sugar on the body; Lesson 4 – Get
Moving, covers the importance of getting at least 60 minutes a day
of exercise and the importance of physical activity on the body;
and Lesson 5 – Kidney disease, covers how you get the
disease, ways to prevent it, and kidney failure treatment
options.
"I didn't understand how important kidneys were to the body and
your overall health until mine stopped working when I was four,"
said Angelica Hale, 13-year-old
singing sensation and NKF's Kid Ambassador. "Helping kids and
families learn early about the importance of kidney health can help
kids now and later in life." Angelica received a kidney transplant
at age six from her mother.
This educational program helps teachers instill healthy habits
in their students while enhancing their curriculum whether teaching
remotely or in-person. Children learn about kidney disease,
nutrition and diet, exercise and biology, and why good kidney
health matters. And parents will find great, informative materials
to add to their home school curriculum. The future looks bright for
children who form healthy habits early that will benefit them
throughout their entire lifetime.
Learn more about NKF, Your Kidneys and Youth, and kidney disease
at kidney.org/kids.
Kidney Disease Facts
In the
United States, 37 million adults are estimated to
have chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90 percent don't
know they have it. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. are at risk for
chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease
include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart
disease, obesity, and family history. People of Black or
African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska
Native, Asian American, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease.
Blacks or African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than
White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.3
times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.
About the National Kidney Foundation
The National
Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most
comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization
dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney
disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit
www.kidney.org.
Facebook.com
twitter.com/nkf
www.kidney.org
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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation