Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 18, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Measurement of obesity prevention in childcare settings: A systematic review of current instruments
Kaitlyn K Stanhope1, Christi Kay2, Beth Stevenson2
1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Insights
Childhood obesity prevention programs for preschoolers are common, but a review of measurement tools for behavior and environment is lacking. This study identifies and analyzes available tools for evaluating early childhood obesity interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Childhood obesity rates are highest at kindergarten entry, with early weight issues tracking into adulthood.
- Early life interventions are increasingly common for childhood obesity prevention.
- A gap exists in the literature regarding measurement tools for behavior and environmental changes in childcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and describe measurement tools used in evaluating obesity prevention in preschool-aged children (ages 1-5).
- To identify tools measuring nutrition, physical activity, and physical health outcomes at individual and environmental levels.
Main Methods:
- Conducted literature searches in PubMed using keywords related to early childhood obesity, measurement, nutrition, and physical activity.
- Included 134 publications discussing obesity prevention, risk assessment, or treatment in children aged 1-5, focusing on nutrition or physical activity measurement.
- Abstracted data on measurement tools, populations, and outcomes, organizing them by individual/environmental levels and outcome types.
Main Results:
- One hundred thirty-four publications were analyzed, detailing various measurement tools.
- Data were categorized into individual and environmental measures, covering physical activity, diet, and physical health outcomes.
- Recommendations were provided on the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement tools.
Conclusions:
- Despite numerous interventions for preschooler obesity, no consensus exists on a gold standard or accurate measurement tool.
- Further research is needed to establish validated and reliable measurement tools for early childhood obesity prevention programs.
Objective:
The incidence of childhood obesity is highest among children entering kindergarten. Overweight and obesity in early childhood track through adulthood. Programs increasingly target children in early life for obesity prevention. However, the published literature lacks a review on tools available for measuring behaviour and environmental level change in child care. The objective is to describe measurement tools currently in use in evaluating obesity-prevention in preschool-aged children.
Methods:
Literature searches were conducted in PubMed using the keywords "early childhood obesity," "early childhood measurement," "early childhood nutrition" and "early childhood physical activity." Inclusion criteria included a discussion of: (1) obesity prevention, risk assessment or treatment in children ages 1-5 years; and (2) measurement of nutrition or physical activity.
Results:
One hundred thirty-four publications were selected for analysis. Data on measurement tools, population and outcomes were abstracted into tables. Tables are divided by individual and environmental level measures and further divided into physical activity, diet and physical health outcomes. Recommendations are made for weighing advantages and disadvantages of tools.
Conclusion:
Despite rising numbers of interventions targeting obesity-prevention and treatment in preschool-aged children, there is no consensus for which tools represent a gold standard or threshold of accuracy.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Obesity
01:30Preventive Healthcare Services
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast,...
01:18Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...