Growing healthy kids: a community garden-based obesity prevention program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Childhood obesity rates have surged, especially in 2-5 year olds.
• Latino children face a disproportionately high prevalence of obesity.
• Low-income families require targeted interventions for obesity prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the Growing Healthy Kids Program (GHK) pilot intervention.
• Prevent childhood obesity in low-income families in a Southern state.
• Assess the impact of community-based programs on health behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Intervention included gardening, cooking workshops, and social events.
• Collected pre- and post-program height, weight, and BMI data for 95 children.
• Assessed changes in fruit and vegetable availability and consumption via parental reports.

Main Results:

• 17% of obese/overweight children improved BMI classification.
• 100% of normal BMI children maintained their classification.
• Significant increases in fruit and vegetable availability (146%) and consumption (28-33%) were reported.

Conclusions:

• Community gardening and nutrition programs can increase fruit and vegetable intake.
• The GHK program shows promise for addressing childhood obesity in vulnerable populations.
• Further research is needed, but the strategy is effective for low-income Latino immigrant families.