More than 200,000 kids in the U.S. have diabetes. For them, and for children and adolescents with other health-related dietary restrictions, Halloween can be a truly haunted holiday. To help make Halloween sweet for everyone, Institute of Applied Biomedicine is sponsoring a Non-Sugar Treats Poster campaign. Anyone who traditionally gives candy to excited Trick-or-Treaters is invited to offer small toys or sugar-free treats as well.

By putting a Ask Me For Non-Sugar Treats poster on their door or window, community members can identify their homes as offering alternative treats to those young people who would love to have them. Sugar-free treats like bubbles, pennies, origami paper or stickers are fun enough that all kids would enjoy them as well. Posters are free on the Institutes website at www.appliedbiomed.org

This program also offers the community an opportunity to help stem the rising rates of childhood obesity in our area by providing an alternative to Halloween candy. About a quarter of school-age students are overweight, and the typical Trick-or-Treater receives more than 5,000 calories worth of candy the equivalent of a pound and a half of fat.

More information and a list of no-sugar suggestions are available on this letter to parents and community members.

Community feedback on this program is requested: please take the survey below and send your answers in an e-mail message to sugar@appliedbiomed.org to let us know what you thought!

1) Where do you live?

2) How did you find out about this program?

3) Did you/will you provide non-sugar treats?

4) If you are providing non-sugar treats, are you also giving away candy?

5) 5) Do you plan to do this again next year?

Click here for more information about using this Non-Sugar Treats Poster program in your community.

Institute of Applied Biomedicine is a non-profit organization located in Santa Cruz. With the efforts of volunteers, the organization seeks to raise funds for research related to AIDS and other immune system disorders. A drug concept in the Institutes pipeline may eventually improve the success of diabetes-curing islet cell transplants.