Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117184

Steven H. Kelder, PhD, MPH¹, Deanna M. Hoelscher, PhD, RD, LD, CNS², Peter W. Cribb, MEd¹, Jerri L. Ward, MA, RD, LD³, Cristina S. Barroso, MPH⁴, and Nancy G. Murray, DrPH⁵. (1) School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, 7000 Fannin, Suite 2658, Houston, TX 77030, 713-500-9636, Steven.H.Kelder@uth.tmc.edu, (2) Human Nutrition Center, University of Texas School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, RAS W942, Houston, TX 77030, (3) Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, Univ. of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, 7320 North Mopac, Suite 204, Austin, TX 78731, (4) Center for Health Promotion Research and Development, University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, W-904E, Houston, TX 77030, (5) School of Public Health - Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas, 7000 Fannin, UCT 2620, Houston, TX 77030

CATCH stands for Coordinated Approach to Child Health and was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and took place between 1991 and 1994 in California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas. At the completion of the RCT, intervention students consumed less fat; were more physically active during physical education classes; participated in more physical activity outside of school; and school cafeterias provided lower fat meals. The follow-up study assessed differences in grades 6 - 8 among 3,714 (73 percent) of the initial CATCH participants. Students who received the health promotion intervention in grades 3 through 5 maintained a diet significantly lower in total fat and saturated fat and continued to pursue more vigorous physical activity levels compared to the students in the control groups. A recent replication study of CATCH among El Paso children strongly suggests that CATCH is effective in maintaining weight among Hispanic girls and boys. Since the completion of these studies, the Texas CATCH team have expanded the curriculum to include kindergarten, first, and second grades, developed a K-5 after school program, a program for parks and recreation, and a sixth grade physical education module. With funding from the Texas Department of State and Health Services, CATCH has been disseminated and implemented widely in Texas and in other parts of the US. Over 1,700 Texas schools have adopted; greater than 3,000 nationwide. This presentation will describe the rationale and strategies used in this highly successful youth health promotion program.

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