McKinley Health Center and the Sportwell Center, along with University students, will host a fitness and health fair today to teach students ways to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The event, “Take Steps Toward a Healthy Weight,” will be held at the Illini Union room C from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will include prizes, giveaways, tools and information for students, said Lisa Burgoon, coordinator of the Sportwell Center. Directors for the event are expecting 300 to 400 people.

“We’re trying to make assessments and information available to students,” Burgoon said. “They can learn their target heart rate, body mass index and information about appropriate ways to lose weight.”

University students in the dietetics program have also been working on presentations for the fair, said Abhi Bhat, junior in ACES. Bhat said he started working with his FSHN 329 class for the event at the beginning of the semester.

Bhat will be working at the lifestyle principles booth to inform others about calories, hydration and physical activity. Other students in the class will present portion control, dairy, fiber and dietary fat.

Burgoon said the students have been helpful with information research and publicity, and the experience will help them in their future careers as well.

“The students have really taken ownership of this fair, and I make sure to include them with all of the event planning,” Burgoon said. “This way they learn how to plan events in the future, and they work together to bring the best information to the people who come in.”

Students like Haley Skisak, sophomore in ACES, are going to the fair to learn more about correct diet and exercise programs.

“I want to learn how to eat healthier and still be able to eat foods that I like,” Skisak said. “I’ve been in sports my whole life, so it will be interesting to see what exercise is the most efficient for weight loss.”

Bhat said this information is beneficial to University students, especially because they are beginning to establish lifestyle habits.

“Most of their information now comes from potentially unreliable sources like the Internet, TV or their friends,” Bhat said. “We’ve seen the freshman 15. We know it’s not easy to eat healthy and stay in shape in college. They need to make sure they’re getting the proper information.”

Burgoon said the 11 booths at the event aim to appeal to many students and make information available in a variety of ways.

“One thing may be beneficial for one student, and someone else may be looking for something different,” she said. “It’s not one-size-fits-all when you’re talking about weight management.”

Skisak said she thinks unhealthy eating is the biggest health problem on campus, and she expects that this event could raise awareness of these problems.

“When you live in the dorms, dorm food is all that is accessible to you,” Skisak said. “Eating bad food is often your only option. Talking to dietitians and trainers will be helpful because you can have one-on-one conversations about your life and options.”

If the event is helpful to students who attend, then Bhat said he will be satisfied with the program’s success. He said he hopes to see good turnout and positive feedback to make sure University students learn about health management.

Burgoon said she wants to help students create habits they can use for the rest of their lives. If the turnout is good, she said she hopes to turn this into an annual event at the end of March celebrating national fitness month.

“I want students to take the initiative to manage their weight and make lifestyle changes,” Burgoon said. “People know they’re supposed to exercise and eat healthy, but we’re here to tell them what a healthy weight is and how to achieve that for themselves.”