A community-driven obesity prevention and intervention in an elementary school

In partnership with community agencies and organizations, University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UKCOM) launched an after-school program focusing on creating healthy, active lifestyles for students at a Lexington elementary school. Chosen for the underserved population of children it cares for, the school exhibits all of the national risk factors for obesity: low-income families (57% of annual household incomes less than $10,000); minority population (80% of the children African-American or Hispanic); and located in an unsafe neighborhood for outdoor physical activity. These demographics resulted in a school population that had body mass index (BMI) demographics of 48.8% overweight (BMI >85%), including 30.7% obese (BMI >95%), in contrast with the national average of 16% obese.

Targeting the school's children with a BMI >85th percentile, an after-school program was created. The students met twice a week for 90-minute sessions of fun physical activities, proper nutritional information, as well as small group sessions with pediatric psychiatry residents focusing on good choices and proper motivations in life. Universal school interventions were also instituted in an attempt to reach the entire school population.

Initial findings after the first year of the program indicated a slowing in the average rate of weight gain by the targeted population. While the results, compared to accessible data in a school population with similar demographics, did not reach statistical significance, the trends were in the desired direction. A statistically significant difference (p=0.027) was observed in mean BMI percentile for the universal school population versus the comparison school.

School-based prevention and intervention conducted by a coalition of community agencies and organizations is a promising and cost-effective approach to curtailing childhood obesity.