CINCINNATI — The childhood obesity rate has been on rise since the pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now saying one in every five children are obese, but one fitness instructor is taking action, starting with her own son. 

For 15-year-old Kevin Reyes, every step is one toward his future career.

“At first, I didn’t like the idea, but when I got to the advanced stuff, it became more interesting,” said Reyes. 

It became so interesting that he says he lost 30 pounds doing step aerobics to hip-hop music or what’s called Xtreme Hip-hop.

“It’s more fun; you can change it up and make your own style,” said Reyes. 

Now, he wants to teach the class, but it’s his mom, Dawnetra Blackwell, a certified fitness instructor, leading the class.

“In my family, there’s diabetes, there’s hypertension, there’s heart disease — it’s the whole gamut,” said Blackwell. 

She’s not doing teaching the class just to help her own family and kids but any kid battling a growing epidemic. 

The most recent numbers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital show Cincinnati’s childhood obesity rate sits close to 40%. That’s almost double the national average.

“We have a true disparity in Cincinnati, and I wouldn’t say it’s going unchecked, but I believe underserved neighborhoods are being missed, so I wanted to make sure I provided a program that would encourage fitness and wellness to the youth,” said Blackwell. 

That’s why she’s doing weekly workout classes for families in the city at no charge and using Xtreme Hip-Hop to try and draw in a younger crowd.

It’s something her 15-year-old says is keeping him going strong. 

“It makes you forget how much you’re working out,” said Reyes. 

Blackwell is also raising money to expand classes, add more instructors, and add things like boxing workouts to the schedule. You can find out more about the classes here.