The National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC) and the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) will hold a joint conference, Healthy Living and Learning Together, in Houston, TX on August 29 - September 1, 2005.

The conference planning committee members are:

• Diane Allensworth, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA
• Megan Evans, Kansas Learning Center for Health, Halstead, KS
• Steve Furney, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
• Judy Gantt, CDC Global Health Odyssey Museum, Atlanta, GA
• Martha Griffin, John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, Houston, TX
• Jane Hakala-Buckner, Houston School District, Houston, TX
• Renee McFarland, Weller Health Education Center, Easton, PA
• David Midland, NAHEC, Milwaukee, WI
• Becky Seabrook, John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, Houston, TX
• Devra Shiba, Health World, Barrington, IL
• Becky Smith, AAHE, Reston, VA
• Tiffany Vanlandingham, NAHEC, Milwaukee, WI
• Katherine Wilbur, Maine Department of Education, Augusta, ME
• Larry Wittkop, PEAK Exhibits, Algonquin, IL
• Rebecca Zakowski, HealthWorks! Kids' Museum, South Bend, IN

Hosted by
This year’s conference is hosted by the John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science in Houston, TX. Hotel accommodations and meeting spaces are at the Crowne Plaza Houston Medical Center, centrally located in the heart of Houston.

Conference Features
This 4-day joint conference will feature keynote speakers, breakout and sharing sessions, panel discussions, pre-conference workshops and networking opportunities. The conference will begin at 8:00 AM on Tuesday morning with a welcome and General Session. Special events include a workshop on Health Education Standards & Assessment, an Exhibitor's Reception, the NAHEC Annual Awards Luncheon and a Museum Crawl in Houston's exciting Museum District.

Conference Theme
The conference theme is Healthy Living and Learning Together with special attention on the need to address obesity. One important way to address obesity is through prevention. Healthy People 2010 addresses, in great detail, the national baseline for multiple overweight and obesity deadlines. A key and fundamental aspect of prevention is best practice or evidence-based health education. It is important for health education to apply the research to best practice and evidence-based programs.

Conference Purpose
The primary purpose of this conference is to review the obesity and overweight research literature and translate those findings into a comprehensive evidence-based health education strategic plan that

1. provides health educators with a clear understanding of the adverse consequences of obesity;
2. describes the role of health education centers and schools in preventing obesity and providing intervention programs for obese children and youth;
3. assists health education centers and school health educators to provide leadership in the development of school and community policies and programming in childhood and youth obesity.

Pre-Conference Workshops
The following pre-conference workshops will be presented on Monday, August 29:

• Workshop I: Diminishing the Fear Factor: Increasing Confidence with Interactive Strategies for Prevention Education Programs (NAHEC HIV Prevention Project)
• Workshop II: (Cancelled) Health Education Grants Without Grief
• Workshop III: (Cancelled) Sponsorship Bootcamp
• Workshop IV: Health Education Standards Curriculum Alignment Training (NAHEC Members by Invitation Only)
• Workshop V: Health Education Standards & Assessment 2-Day Workshop

*Workshops are pre-registration events. Registration deadline: August 1, 2005.

Conference Sessions
Sessions will follow three tracks: Administrative Operations, Educational Strategies and External Affairs (Marketing & Fund Development).

Meals
The following meals are included in your registration:

Exhibitors
Exhibitors will be available during the conference to share their products and services with participants. Tuesday evening will feature an Exhibitor Reception where participants can informally socialize with exhibitors and other conference attendees.

Special Events
(Pre-registration and special event fee required)

• Museum Crawl:
  Participants are invited to a Wednesday evening Museum Crawl in Houston's exciting Museum District. Progressive dinner provided.

For more information:
Call (414) 390-2187 or send an e-mail to events@nahec.org.