1 ORGS · 4 ACTIVITIES ← all strategies ·
theory of action →

Circle of Wellness

By training educators and parents to model healthy behaviors, children adopt and spread wellness practices to families and communities, because behavior change is most sustainable when it cascades through trusted relational networks. This strategy leverages a tiered diffusion model where health education begins with key influencers—educators and parents—and naturally extends to children and then the broader community. Unlike top-down health interventions, the Circle of Wellness creates a self-reinforcing cycle by embedding wellness in everyday social interactions, making it particularly effective in childhood obesity prevention and community-wide health screening engagement. Its emphasis on intergenerational behavior change distinguishes it from one-off or clinic-based health programs.

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orgs running it
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activities of those orgs
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clusters touched
who runs it

organizations running this strategy · 1

what it looks like in practice

activities of orgs running this strategy

A sample of programmatic activities from the orgs above. These are what the strategy looks like on the ground.

  • Cookbook Publishing and Nutrition Education Materials Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Authored and published more than 15 bestselling cookbooks, including "Think Outside The Lunchbox" with 250 plant-nutritious recipes, which have collectively sold over 2 million copies to support healthy eating and nutrition education.
  • Health and Wellness Expos Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Organizes free, large-scale Health and Wellness Expos in dozens of cities nationwide annually, featuring family engagement activities such as sports demonstrations, cooking demos, entertainment, and giveaways to promote public awareness of heart and chronic disease prevention. The first expo was held in Mesa, Arizona in October 2009, and events continue to be hosted in partnership with entities like the Arizona Department of Education, with attendance expected at over 3,000 for single events.
  • Hip-Hop Healthy Heart Program™ and School Curriculum Shape Up US Inc
    direct service
    Implements the Hip-Hop Healthy Heart Program™, a comprehensive health literacy curriculum for children, across 34 states through schools and e-learning platforms. Also created an elementary school health and wellness curriculum and designs culturally responsive programs tailored to community input to improve access to health and wellness resources for diverse families.
  • Teacher Training and Capacity Building Shape Up US Inc
    capacity building
    Partnered with Rio Salado College in 2011 to offer teacher training coursework, building educator capacity to deliver health and wellness education.