A community intervention reduces BMI z-score in children: Shape Up Somerville first year results

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Obesity Prevention
• Environmental Health Interventions

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern, exacerbated by obesigenic environments.
• Early intervention is crucial for preventing long-term health consequences.
• Community-based approaches are needed to address environmental factors influencing children's weight.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based environmental change intervention in preventing weight gain among young children.
• To test the hypothesis that modifying the environment can impact children's Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores.
• To assess the intervention's impact on children aged 7.6 +/- 1.0 years.

Main Methods:

• A non-randomized controlled trial involving 1178 children in grades 1-3 across three urban cities in Massachusetts.
• The intervention community implemented changes to increase physical activity and access to healthy foods in multiple environments (school, home, community).
• A multi-sectoral community engagement strategy involved parents, schools, policymakers, healthcare providers, and media.

Main Results:

• At baseline, a significant proportion of children (36-44%) were above the 85th percentile for BMI z-score across communities.
• The intervention community showed a statistically significant decrease in BMI z-score (-0.1005, p=0.001) compared to control communities.
• The intervention effectively lowered BMI z-score even amidst a challenging obesigenic environment.

Conclusions:

• Community-based environmental change interventions can effectively reduce BMI z-scores in high-risk children.
• This intervention model shows promise for combating escalating childhood obesity rates nationwide.
• Addressing environmental factors is a viable strategy for pediatric obesity prevention.