With 15% of American children overweight and another 15% on the cusp, OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Ill., has tightened its focus on education and outreach through the Children and Teens Choosing Health, or CATCH initiative, which began during the summer of 2012.

The 235-bed tertiary-care facility has received the Spirit of Excellence Honorable Mention in Community for its efforts to educate children and youth, in a fun and competitive way, on the importance of making the right dietary and exercise decisions given the temptations of snacks, fast food and endless “screen time”—and the eventual results of poor lifestyle choices, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Based on their eating habits, weight and physical ability, each participant receives a step-by-step primer on good health—and each is measured at the end of six weeks, based on the President's Youth Fitness program, to see how well they've applied this knowledge. Now the team is creating a CATCH II program to extend the benefits.