There's a role-model reversal going on in some families today, and dear old Dad, who's been used to calling the shots, is starting to take marching orders from the kids.

Well, at least a few vigorous jogs. Active, nutrition-conscious children, teens and 20-somethings are behind a healthy mission to get Dad off the couch and out of the potato chips and back into more fitness-minded activities.

Becky Stein/special (ENLARGE)

Bill Huff exercises a lot on the weekends. He hikes at stone mountain every sunday and rides a bike on the Silver Comet Trail and around the Mountain.

Photos SCREENING TESTS Here are some general guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Some men may need screening at more frequent intervals; consult your doctor. Blood pressure High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure. Men ages 20 and older should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. Cholesterol High blood cholesterol causes most of the same problems as hypertension. Starting at age 35, men should get their cholesterol checked at least every five years. If you smoke, have diabetes or if heart disease runs in your family, you should begin having it checked at age 20. Colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Men age 50 and older should be screened for colorectal cancer. When to be screened depends on which test your doctor recommends. Diabetes If detected early enough, you can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Men should be tested for diabetes if they have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or if they weigh more than their ideal weight and have a family history of diabetes. Prostate cancer Some prostate cancers become a serious threat by growing quickly, spreading to other parts of the body. Men age 50 and older should talk to their doctor about being screened for prostate cancer. Related health articles: [an error occurred while processing this directive] Topics: Atlanta hospitals | Weight loss | CDC | Cancer | Swine Flu Back to Health news DOCTOR IS IN Why worry? THINNER YOU Lose weight. Together.

All that cheerleading to get Dad focused on his health has a happy payoff for the whole team. "If a man, at any age, begins seeing a doctor regularly, getting screening tests and taking preventive measures, his quality of life may be greatly improved down the road," said Dr. Alan Wang, chief medical officer at Emory Johns Creek Hospital. Dad will be around longer and be healthier, Wang said.

Several of Wang's colleagues at Emory Johns Creek Hospital admit to getting health advice from their kids.

"I remember when my daughter Heidi was 18 she told me I should work less, and she was right. I needed to change my schedule," lung specialist Tom DeMarini said.

Chris Hart, chief of surgery, said: "My daughters always remind me to put on my seat belt. And as soon as they were old enough to see over the ... seat, they reminded me about the speed limit."

Here is a look at some families who are encouraging Dad to exercise, eat right or give up unhealthy habits.

Team effort

Fit father: Rick Butgereit, 49, executive at Infor Global Solutions and part-owner of the Fur Bus

"Keep nagging and complain a lot!" advised 20-year-old Chris Butgereit, whose sense of humor added to the success of the family plan to get dad Rick to drop nearly 50 pounds.

"If that doesn't work, take pictures and blackmail," Chris said. Rick, who married Meg last year, is literally surrounded by health coaches with six kids from his previous marriage (Eric, 21; Chris, 20; Brent, 19; Sam, 17; Libby, 15; Patrick, 11) and two from Meg's (Drew, 18, and Katie, 21).

Libby says she may have started it all when her soccer coach put her on a diet and fitness regimen. "I'd ask Dad, 'Can we get this instead of that?' at the grocery store. Like wheat pasta instead of white pasta, more fruits and vegetables and sugar-reduced things," she said.

Rick said it was obvious his health status needed to change. "When you watch them zipping around outside, you want to zip, too. But then you're zapped!" Two years into cooking healthier meals, nixing the junk food snacks and working out with weights and running two to three miles several times a week, Rick says he feels great and he's kept the weight off. Libby says it's inspiring for all of them. "We see him do better, and it makes us want to do better, too."

Chris sees the personal benefits, too. "He can actually go out and do stuff with us now. He's happier, and when I see his smiling face at breakfast, it's a cheerful 'good morning, Chris!' "

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The karate kid

Fit father: Dr. Michael Garrett, 44, anesthesiologist, Emory Johns Creek Hospital

Mitchell Garrett just earned his red belt in karate. The next step will be brown and then the coveted black belt. Michael Garrett is a relative newcomer to the sport, so he's just a purple belt. In a generational twist to "The Karate Kid" movie plot, Mitchell, 10, is the wise teacher for his father.

It all started when Dad, a busy doctor, became too busy to take care of his own health.

"It gets back to getting older and being tired after nine- to 10-hour days," Garrett said. "My knees and joints hurt from college soccer injuries, so I'd flop on the couch when I got home and then the weight piled on."

Then Mitchell, who was training and competing at Karate USA, told his dad the sport might be good for him, too. "He showed me at home before I even started. Then we'd stand side by side in his class and he would encourage me. He's my karate kid."

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Eat your vegetables

Fit father: Nick Chiles, 42, editor in chief of Odyssey Couleur magazine

"When a 5-year-old in the house can eat brussels sprouts, so can you!" declared Denene Millner Chiles to help encourage her husband, Nick, to eat better. Battling high blood pressure and facing a doctor's orders to lose weight, Chiles needed to take his health more seriously.

"I'd always been athletic, but over the years the pounds add up," he said. "I'd play some tennis, but not enough." And as Chiles' son, Mazi, and daughters Mari and Lila got older and more active in school sports, he wanted to keep up. "I noticed the exercise Mari was getting in track, and then Mazi beat me at basketball for the first time," he said.

Fifteen pounds trimmer, he's stepped up his workouts and improved his diet. "I eat breakfast now and ask my wife, 'what's for dinner tonight?' so that dictates how much to eat for lunch," he said.

And he has plenty of expert help at home. Mari, 9, said: "I make sure he doesn't eat stuff he's not supposed to. And I read the nutrition facts on foods to check for sodium, carbs, fat and calories." Lila, who just turned 6, reported: "He eats more vegetables like salad, carrots and broccoli, and he exercises."

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A daughter's request

Fit father: Bill Huff, 56, vice president of marketing, Manhattan Associates

When Christie Huff was 5, she remembers her pediatrician asked if anyone in the family was a smoker.

"I told him that my dad occasionally smoked cigars, and he said it was really unhealthy. So I came home and asked him to stop," she said. That was about 10 years ago, and Huff hasn't had a cigar since. "I was never a heavy cigar smoker, but every time I'm tempted to have one, I remember Christie and take a pass."

Now he spends more time working his lungs by cycling on weekends and hiking up Stone Mountain on Sunday mornings. Just recently, wife Ann asked him what happened to the cigar habit, and that's when he told her it was because Christie asked him to quit. Christie, 15, says she didn't realize the impact of her childhood request. "Actually, I think it's really cool that he listened to me," she said.

"You can't ignore it when your child calls you on something," said Tom DeMarini, a lung specialist at Emory Johns Creek Hospital. "Cigars may seem less harmful than cigarettes, but they are highly associated with head and neck cancers."