Mississippi was recently ranked again as the state with the most overweight and obese population, leading a national trend of growing obesity. The health and economic problems associated with this troubling trend are well documented and there is a growing consensus that preventive strategies can have a significant positive impact in combating obesity at all ages, but particularly in school age children. 

Heroes for Health is a proposed exhibition at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum that will utilize the museum’s sports focus to educate and inspire Mississippi children to strive for fitness and a healthier lifestyle. InterActive Group planned this energetic hands-on learning setting to engage “rookie” young visitors, ages 6-14, to join Team Fit and explore a range of fitness, nutritional and healthy lifestyle activities as they “make the team.” The exhibition is part of a broader statewide initiative that will include school outreach programs and a companion web site to extned in-class learning. The target audience represents approximately 400,000 people throughout Mississippi.