Huddles of teens approached the Your Health Age booth and asked to take the test during the annual National Old-time Fiddlers' Contest and Festival in small-town Weiser, Idaho. Church members handed out clipboards and pens. They answered many questions, and gave printouts comparing real ages with "health ages" based on, for example, how much one sleeps, snacks and exercises. Members also provided recommendations to improve results.
The Weiser Maranatha Church hosts the booth each June to encourage festival-goers to think about their health.
"Teens are attracted to the booth because they are young and think they are healthy and strong. They may find out not eating breakfast or getting enough sleep at night and too many snacks can affect their health as much as smoking or drinking," says Janean Lewis, booth coordinator.
The booth has served more than 1,000 festival visitors since its inception in 2002.
