Childhood obesity epidemic: Public health social work practitioners address the mediating factors pervasive in communities

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Yvette Michelle Sealy, PhD, LCSW, Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, Room 725-G, New York, NY 10023, (212) 636-6679, sealy@fordham.edu

The South Bronx like many other neighborhoods in New York City is saturated with large chain fast food restaurants contributing to the number one health problem for children today- Obesity. Obesity in children is an epidemic in the United States with rates doubling in the past three decades. Currently 15% of children 6-11 years and 16% of children 12-19 years in the U.S. are obese and at risk for developing adult diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. Obese children are more likely to be poor and live in low-income neighborhoods where access to quality, nutritious, and affordable foods is often limited. Furthermore, African American and Hispanic children are more likely to be obese than White and Asian children. The presentation will address the need for a two pronged systematic approach to decreasing childhood obesity rates. This approach includes an educational and community-planning focus. The educational focus examines critical factors associated with obesity: parental attitudes, food availability and consumption patterns, level of physical activity, medical care service utilization, and health literacy. Community-planning boards and other advisory groups must become involved to ensure that for every opportunity that exists for a family to consume fast food, there are sufficient prospects for obtaining health promoting food choices. Results from focus groups conducted with parents of local youth service organizations will be presented. The presentation will conclude with suggested interventions for how public health social work practice can be instrumental in improving health outcomes for children.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

1) Recognize a fundamental step necessary to combating obesity, improving the health literacy of parents, and increase their capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
2) Assess the key factors associated with obesity such as parental attitudes toward support, control and monitoring, food availability and consumption patterns, level of physical activity, medical care service utilization, and health care insurance for use in the development of treatment interventions.
3) Analyze how city community-planning boards become involved and take action to ensure that middle and low income families have ongoing access to quality food sources to obtain health promoting food choices.

Keywords: Children's Health, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Child Welfare: Displaced families, disabilities, health, and foster care

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA