DULLES, VA, October 25 -- How do you make health and science fun for kids? AOL's KOL kids service and AOL@SCHOOL will provide kids, parents and teachers with a new, engaging online educational environment through the launch of KOL Expeditions at http://www.kolexpeditions.com/. This fall, the AOL KOL service will launch this new feature with its first expedition including daily video remotes from Okinawa, Japan to unlock the secret of how kids can adopt healthier lifestyles.

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%). While it is clear that childhood obesity is a major issue in the United States, AOL has developed a way to bring this important topic to life in an educational, yet entertaining manner directly to kids. 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.

"We created KOL(r) Expeditions to put millions of kids in the driver's seat to discover new frontiers whether they are getting a glimpse into another culture from a kids point of view or learning and interacting with a world renowned health activist," said Malcolm Bird, senior vice president AOL Kids, Teens & @School. "It is our goal to put kids in the center of each of our programs so they can learn by having fun while also providing teachers and parents with lesson plans and ideas about critical topics through the AOL@SCHOOL site."

Kids Drive Expedition On Healthy Living

AOL has partnered with Quest Network's Blue Zones to create an interactive expedition to teach kids about living a healthier lifestyle. Using exclusive live-to-tape daily video segments from the "blue zone" Okinawa, Japan (October 31-November 11), kids will determine each day through online voting what should be explored the next day.

Whether kids vote to learn about the "Gross and Disgusting," including the slimiest and healthiest foods on earth like octopus eye balls or pig guts, watch profiles of other kids or get a closer look at Okinawan activities for kids, educational elements will be threaded throughout each segment delivered by renowned adventurer and three-time Guinness Book Of World Records holder Dan Buettner. Ultimately, AOL will provide kids with an understanding of what it takes to live longer, help them to make better choices and promote good eating habits by exploring Okinawa, the city that has the lowest obesity and highest longevity rates in the world.

"I believe that the success of modern-day expeditions is a function of how well they convey the sense of exploration and discovery," said Dan Buettner, founder of Quest Network, Inc./Bluezones.com. "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."

Additionally, the KOL(r) and AOL@SCHOOL services will provide important and serious information on the topic of eating and living a healthier life with links to standards-driven lesson plans, the Blue Zones Challenge and more.

Poll Discovers Income Level As An Impact On Children's Health

The AP-KOL poll also found that children in households with less than $50,000 annual income are a little more likely to be overweight than children in wealthier households (26% of those in households with income less than $25,000 and 27% of those in households of $25,000 to $50,000 compared to 18% of those in households with more than $50,000 income).

Parents in households with less than $25,000 income a year were much more likely than those who make more money to say the cost of healthy food is a major problem in trying to improve their child's eating habits (44%, vs 26% of those with income of $25-50,000 and 18% of those who make more than $50,000).

The cost of healthy food is also a larger problem among parents from rural (34%) and urban (27%) areas than suburban (20%) areas, and among unmarried parents (39%) than married (19%).

Additionally, non-married parents with a child age 6-17 are more likely (30%) to cite television commercials as a major problem in trying to improve their child's eating habits than are married parents (22%). Women (23%) were about as likely as men (18%) to report having an overweight child but women were more likely than men to cite various factors as major problems in the child's obesity: the cost of healthy food (33% to 16%), television commercials for food aimed at children (29% to 18%), product packaging aimed at children (25% to 17%) and the food served in the school cafeteria (32% to 13%).

Methodology The Associated Press/KOL Poll is conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Between October 5-23, 2005, Ipsos-Public Affairs interviewed a representative sample of 4,334 adults nationwide, including 961 parents with children age 6-17. Please see http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com for information on poll methodology used. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 points for parents with children.


About Quest Network

Quest Network produces highly interactive, standards-driven, online learning adventures that empower students to take control of their own learning environment, through the excitement of an expedition. Quests do not dictate subject matter, but rather pose compelling mysteries to a student audience, embed evidence within daily reports and videos, and then task schoolchildren with analyzing and synthesizing clues to articulate a final evidence-based argument. World-renowned explorer and Quest founder, Dan Buettner is a seasoned explorer and creator of what the May 2005 issue of Technology & Learning Magazine touted as one of "...25 innovative people, products, and initiatives that have shaped the landscape of education technology over the past generation."

About the KOL(r) Service

The KOL service is the first version of the America Online(r) service designed entirely for kids. Combining exclusive content from industry leading kids' brands and all-new original programming, the KOL service is fully integrated with AOL's award-winning Parental Controls, offering kids a safer and more secure online environment. America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

About AOL@SCHOOL

AOL@SCHOOL is the comprehensive online learning solution than provides valuable age-appropriate educational content at no cost from more than 20 educational partners including Hotmath, InfoSource and BrainPOP. Designed to help schools make the interactive medium a more effective part of the classroom experience, AOL@SCHOOL provides robust, age-appropriate learning portals with industry-leading online educational material selected by education experts. All of the content can be accessed at http://www.aolatschool.com/.

Source: AOL

Source: Wired News