Wellness Badge to teach Scouts about Healthy Habits

In partnership with UPMC Health Plan, the Greater Pittsburgh Council has launched a new wellness program to help Scouts and their families make good food choices and benefit from physical fitness.

Part of the program initiative Scouting for Healthy Habits… Healthy Living,the council teamed with experts at UPMC Health Plan to publish a Wellness Badge Handbook for every registered Boy Scout, with accompanying Parent Guides. As many as 1,000 Boy Scouts are expected to earn the badge in 2008.

The handbook includes sections on family health history, forming healthy habits, goals for wellness, and nutritious and easy-to-make camping recipes.

Scout for Healthy Habits...Healthy Living was developed in 2006 to respond to the worsening societal issue of child obesity. Physical fitness always has been a big part of Scouting at all age levels; keeping “physically strong” is an integral component of the Scout Oath.

The goal of the Wellness Badge is to help Scouts understand that good health is an active, lifelong process of learning about and making better choices.