America Online is tapping Okinawa’s “fountain of youth” for daily video remotes broadcast through AOL’s KOL kids service and AOL@SCHOOL. Part of a feature called KOL Expeditions, the program is aimed at educating kids about a healthier lifestyle.
Scheduled to run October 31-November 11, AOL has teamed up with Quest Network’s Blue Zones to create the interactive expedition via kolexpeditions.com. Live-to-tape daily video segments will be broadcast from “blue zone” Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa, says AOL, enjoys the lowest obesity and highest longevity rates in the world.
Adventurer and three-time Guinness Book of World Records holder Dan Buettner will host the segments from the island prefecture, exploring the healthy eating habits of its residents in the hopes American children will learn to make better food choices.
Kids online for the events will be given the opportunity to vote which segment is aired next, based on subject matter that interests them. AOL gives an example of a segment entitled, “Gross and Disgusting,” where the slimiest and healthiest foods on earth like octopus eyeballs or pig guts are featured while cultural aspects of Okinawan childhood are worked in.
“For the past decade, I’ve explored the world to unlock its greatest mysteries, empowering more than 12 million children along the way. I’m thrilled to partner with AOL for our next Quest to Okinawa, Japan – this time on a quest for the true fountain of youth.”
According to a new AP-KOL poll, one out of five parents of children age 6-17 report having an overweight child citing lack of exercise (38%) as the most important factor in their child’s obesity, followed by easy access to junk food (23%). The survey also showed an interest by children in this topic with more than half (52%) of parents reporting their children expressed a desire to exercise more and 30% wanting to lose weight.
The poll also revealed that children in poorer families had a greater chance of being overweight, with most parents citing the cost of healthy food as the chief barrier to a healthy lifestyle. A significant number of parents also complained about kid-targeted advertising and packaging for junk food as well as the quality of school cafeteria food.
