Girls and an early start on bone health

FDA Consumer, May-June, 2002 by John Henkel

For girls ages 9 to 12, there's no time like the present to practice good bone health. The National Bone Health Campaign (NBHC) is spreading this message to help girls reduce the risk later in life of the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis. Lifelong healthy habits, including increased calcium consumption and weight-bearing physical activity, can help build and maintain strong bones, the NBHC says.

On a Web site called Powerful Girls Have Powerful Bones, girls can go on a colorful tour of games and information with a character named Carla, who points out that her name means "strong." Carla gives all kinds of tips along the way for girls to be strong, such as encouraging activities such as soccer, tennis, and even dancing, all of which can help build strong bones. She also shows girls how to make yogurt pops, smoothies, wraps, and other goodies to help increase calcium in the diet. In another part of the site, girls can play fun games, including one with the object of picking up to 10 foods that add up to the 1,300 milligrams of calcium that girls need every day.

The "Powerful Girls" site, at www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones/, is managed by the NBHC, a coalition of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.