Recorded presentation

Karen Jaynes Williams, PhD, MHSA¹, Patricia Gail Bray, PhD², Jane Peranteau, PhD², and Ilana Reisz, MA². (1) College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Master's Program, Health Care Administration, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004, 713-864-7990, williams_kj@tsu.edu, (2) Community Health Assessment, St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, 6221 Main Street, Houston, TX 77030

A public health charity commenced the Houston – Harris County Youth Nutrition and Fitness Initiative in the East End community of inner-city Houston, a medically underserved, low-income, predominantly Hispanic community. Thirty-one community and academic members participated in seven planning dialogues for the design and implementation of a multi-phase intervention strategy to address the public health concern surrounding youth and obesity. Since 1980, the number of American overweight children has doubled; the number of overweight adolescents has almost tripled. Approximately 35%, or about two million Texas children, are overweight. According to a recent survey of the Texas Department of Health Public Health Region 6 (which includes the Houston metropolitan area), the percentage of 4th graders who were at-risk or overweight was almost 50% and these were the highest rates of all the Public Health Regions in the state. Individual obesity is caused by factors including genetics, metabolism, behavior, and environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Some of the contributors to obesity that we can target for intervention and action are behavioral and environmental factors. Four working groups submitted a report for the Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Treatment of Overweight Children in Houston – Harris County. The strategic plan and some of the specific recommendations were crafted using the CDC guidelines and the recently published state strategic plan on obesity, Strategic Plan for the Prevention of Obesity in Texas. The goal of the plan is to develop a strategic, comprehensive, community-based program for the treatment and prevention of overweight children and adolescents.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• List the resources available for measuring prevalence of obesity in children at the national, state and local levels.
• Articulate a process for establishing community academic partnerships that seek to access both community voice and technical knowledge in public health problem solving.
• Discuss potential policy initiatives that serve as a starting point for changing the environment in which children attempt to manage their nutrition and physical activity issues.

Related Web page: www.slehc.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Former employee of the public charity described.

Recorded presentation