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Schools

Parents Give Health Issues a Check-up at Wellness Fair

Information, screenings and other services were provided by more than 50 vendors during the "Spring into Wellness" event Saturday at the Mehlville High School gym.

Parents, students and other members of the community picked up information concerning physical and mental health issues Saturday at the Mehlville School District’s “Spring into Wellness” fair.

A wide range of more than 50 vendors attended the event, including clinics, hospitals, fitness clubs and other health organizations and businesses. It marked the first time in several years the district has put on such a fair, according to Mehlville Director of School Food and Nutritional Services Katie Koster.

In addition to the information available at the booths, Koster said bike helmet fittings, blood pressure checks, vision exams and mammograms were available at the wellness fair.

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Koster said the event's main goals were educating the community and providing a unique opportunity.

“Health is always a huge issue. We wanted to offer the community a chance to come in and have one place for multiple wellness topics,” Koster said.

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Kim Fauth was one of the parents who took Koster up on her offer Saturday. Browsing the aisles with her two kids in tow, Fauth said she had already taken advantage of the free blood pressure screening and was glad to have a chance to see all the area had to offer in “one shot.”

Fauth’s motivation for coming to the fair stemmed from a desire to be healthier and set a good example for her children.

“We need to teach our kids the right way. If I am not healthy, how are my kids going to be?” Fauth said.

A booth sponsored by Saint Louis University targeted a health issue to which adults and children are equally susceptible– the lure of high-calorie sodas. SLU dietetic intern Kathryn Johns explained and illustrated the adverse effects of such beverages, featuring a large, rubbery cylinder called a “fat bottle.”

“It’s the amount of fat you would take in if you drank two cans of soda a day for a month,” Johns said.

In fact, Johns said that the most effective way to avoid excess weight gain and stay healthy isn’t a miracle diet, but instead suggests common sense steps such as eliminating those late afternoon soda sugar rushes.

“There is a lot of misinformation about nutrition and we are trying to set people on the right path,” Johns said, explaining that nothing is as important as eating right and getting some exercise.  

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