H.A.P.P.Y. camps helping young students make positive changes in their lives and weight

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A summer camp is there to help young students make positive changes in their lives and weight.

"This is the best age to intervene. They are more accepting of change and being able to take on new ways of living and for their lifestyles," said Ashley Scott with Memorial Hermann.

The camp is called H.A.P.P.Y which stands for Healthy Attitudes Promote Positive Youth.

It's a free camp that is provided to the students at Aldine, Houston and Lamar Consolidated school districts. These students were preselected by healthcare workers. The students were selected based on their body mass index and other health concerns that are identified during clinic visits.

The camp provides an hour long workout with a trainer, medical evaluations during and after the training, a nutrition course, and a counselor that helps with any mental health issues.

These skills are also passed along to the student's parents.

Some of the students say the camp has already made a difference.

"They would tell me I'm fat. But I really wouldn't care because they can't find nothing else to tell me but that one thing. So it really didn't matter to me what they told me," said Michael Castro.

Another student Jennifer Argueta, 10, said she wanted to participate in the camp for several reasons.

"To find more clothes and to look pretty," said Argueta.

"It makes me sad, first of all, that she thinks that she has to lose weight to be pretty because she's such a pretty little girl. But at the same time it lets us know where she is. And it let's us know what we need to reinforce," said Scott.

Your child's body mass index is important. Log in online and use theseBMI calculators to see where your child falls in the spectrum.