Pediatric obesity community programs: barriers & facilitators toward sustainability

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community Health
• Pediatric Obesity Research

Background:

• Childhood obesity rates are rising, potentially leading to shorter lifespans for the current generation.
• Community organizations play a vital role in addressing this public health crisis.
• Understanding organizational challenges is crucial for developing sustainable pediatric obesity programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify common barriers and facilitators in community-based programs aimed at preventing or reducing pediatric obesity.
• To inform the development of more effective and sustainable community interventions for childhood obesity.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory qualitative research using grounded theory.
• Semi-structured interviews with 24 program directors from 36 community organizations focused on pediatric obesity.
• Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews by independent reviewers.

Main Results:

• 70% of organizations explicitly focused on obesity prevention/treatment; others targeted healthy lifestyles.
• Key facilitators included improved curricula (73%), community volunteers (62.5%), and inter-program partnerships (54.2%).
• Significant barriers were inconsistent funding (43.8%), low participant engagement (41.7%), and insufficient support staff (20.8%).

Conclusions:

• Community programs require enhanced strategies for partnerships and coalition building.
• Engaging community members in program development is essential for strengthening efforts against the pediatric obesity epidemic.
• Sustainable solutions necessitate addressing funding, participation, and staffing challenges.