Child Health Ecological Surveillance System (CHESS) for childhood obesity: a feasibility study

To assess the feasibility of employing an ecologically guided childhood obesity relevant surveillance system.

Cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 31 organizational representatives across 28 unique organizations and/or departments from three purposively sampled communities in the Capital Health Region in Alberta, Canada.

All the organizational representatives surveyed reported awareness of childhood obesity and 36% reported participation in child obesity initiatives. Data to support a surveillance system are available but not in a suitable format, and privacy legislation present significant barriers. Interest in developing and sustaining an ecologically based surveillance system was low (18%).

Due to the heterogeneity of available data and limited vision for the development and implementation of a surveillance system, the application of an ecologically based surveillance system relevant to childhood obesity may be constrained. Broad-based awareness of childhood obesity by a wide range of organizations could assist in establishing an effective coalition to address this issue over the long term by supporting the establishment of a surveillance system.