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Assessing childhood obesity programs in low-socioeconomic and diverse communities

Joan R Griffith1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Toledo Health Science Campus, Toledo, Ohio 43614-5811, USA. joan.griffith@utoledo.edu

Journal of the National Medical Association
|May 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Identifying best practices for childhood obesity prevention in underserved communities proved challenging. While key informants recommended combining lifestyle changes, family focus, prevention, and community involvement, no single program fully integrated these elements.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Health
  • Community Health Interventions

Background:

  • Childhood obesity disproportionately impacts low-socioeconomic and diverse populations.
  • A national call for programs yielded 80 submissions for childhood obesity prevention and treatment.
  • This study aimed to identify best practices for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify a best practice for childhood obesity prevention and treatment in low-socioeconomic and diverse communities.
  • To analyze existing programs based on expert recommendations.

Main Methods:

  • Secondary analysis of 80 childhood obesity programs.
  • Framework development through literature review (PubMed, Google) and expert committee recommendations.
  • Incorporated insights from 5 key informant interviews.

Main Results:

  • Key informants unanimously recommended combining lifestyle changes, family-centeredness, prevention, and early community involvement.
  • These four themes were present in 50% of the evaluated programs.

Conclusions:

  • An evidence-based best practice was not identified using the recommended themes.
  • Preliminary findings suggest one academic program shows promise for addressing childhood obesity in these communities.
  • Improved data collection is recommended for future research.
Abstract

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