The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49353

Gail M. Woodward-Lopez, MPH, RD¹, Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, RD¹, Susan L. Ivey, MD, MHSA², and Patricia Crawford, DrPH, RD³. (1) Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley, 3 Giannini Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3100, 510-642-1599, gwlopez@nature.berkeley.edu, (2) Center for Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, UC-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, (3) Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, 9 A/B Morgan Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-3104

A systematic literature review on the determinants of overweight in children was conducted by the Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley for the California Department of Health Services, to assist in the planning of the California Obesity Prevention Initiative (COPI). A synthesis tool was developed to provide the results of extensive data review in a simple and user-friendly format for program planners and policy makers. This tool synthesizes the results of hundreds of articles in a single page so that priority areas for intervention and/or additional research can be easily determined. The presenter will demonstrate the usefulness of the tool in identifying risk factors for child overweight including physical activity, dietary, familial and psychosocial influences. Application of the research findings to program development and policy will be discussed. Appropriate goals for programs designed to prevent overweight among children, optimal times during childhood for initiation of interventions, and lessons learned from intervention studies will also be addressed. The session will conclude with a discussion of priorities for programs and policies to prevent overweight among children.

Learning Objectives: