Oct 22, 2014 12:32 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

West Virginia University has joined a multimillion dollar effort to help teens "Get Fruved" and reduce obesity rates, school officials announced Wednesday.

With the support of a generous $4.89 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Morgantown-based institution will implement a peer-led, train-the-trainer social marketing intervention to encourage teens to eat more fruits and vegetables to help prevent chronic disease including obesity in older adolescents and young adults.

"Although these healthy behaviors are often targeted in other interventions, this project is unique in that it increases participant engagement through creative interactions, participant-created content, and incorporation of age-appropriate technology," Melissa Olfert, assistant professor of human nutrition and foods at WVU's Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, said in a statement. "It also incorporates social environments and peer-led strategies while simultaneously addressing changes in environments to support participant-driven behavior change efforts."

The grant will allow students to first design obesity prevention programs for their fellow college students. Next, they will partner with high school "4-H teams" to implement the programs at their schools and train more students, according to school officials.

Specific health behaviors targeted include increasing intakes of fruits and vegetables, decreasing foods high in saturated fats and added sugars, managing stress, getting adequate sleep and increasing physical activity.

"The goal of our research is to develop a novel strategy to promote healthy behaviors associated with weight awareness in older adolescent populations," Olfert said.

In addition, the program will also partner with campus student groups, not only those focusing on majors related to nutrition and health, but also such diverse areas as business, media, and the performing arts. Activities, campus events, and even art and campaign logos will all be developed and implemented by students.

NIFA made the award through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Childhood Obesity Prevention program. This year's funding is focused on supporting research programs aimed at generating new knowledge of behavioral, social and/or environmental factors that influence childhood obesity.

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