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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sharon Callender, RN, MPH, Douglass Bibuld, MD, Sharon Jackson, MS, RD, CDE, and Tarma Johnson, APRN, BC. Mattapan Community Health Center, 1425 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02126, 617/898-9053, callenders@matchc.org

Childhood overweight is one of the major chronic health conditions disproportionately affecting the overall psycho-social and physical health status of African American families. A large percentage of Mattapan children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight due to the lack of exercise, excessive fast-food consumption, and limited access to and availability of community physical fitness activity resources. A random sampling of 100 health center pediatric patients (ages 6-14) showed that 33% were overweight and 19% were at risk for being overweight. This has resulted in the health center pediatricians diagnosing a significant number of children with type 2 diabetes and other preventable chronic diseases over the last two years.

The Nutrition on Wheels Program (NOW) is a health center community outreach initiative that focuses on: overweight prevention, early nutrition intervention services,and promotion of healthier eating habits to decrease the incidence of overweight in children. This paper will provide information on the outreach components and strategies used by Mattapan Community Health Center to address this pediatric health issue.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, the participants will be able to

• Develop community programs aimed at preventing overweight in children.
• Identify community based opportunities and resources for nutritional health education and outreach.
• Discuss the importance of user-friendly and culturally appropriate reports and feedback to parents and community partners on overweight in children.

Keywords: Child Health Promotion, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No