Community based intervention for addressing childhood overweight and obesity

Background: Boston is a city rich in health resources including an indispensable network of community health centers. Their convenient locations enable providers to deliver essential prevention and intervention services to overweight and obese children from low income, ethnically and racially diverse families.

Objective: Children's Hospital Boston's Fitness in the City program supports eleven community health centers. The objective of the program is to enhance existing obesity management programs by increasing the capacity of providers to identify, treat and manage obese and overweight children.

Methods: Children's Hospital Boston's Fitness in the City program collaborates with and supports 11 community health centers. Through resource sharing and trainings, center providers gain knowledge in pediatric weight management protocols and behavior change techniques. Quarterly meetings allow health centers to identify and share best practices for their patient populations. Case management has been identified by providers as an effective tool to:

a) Increase identification of overweight and obese children

b) Enhance nutrition and behavior change counseling

c) Expand access to physical activity

d) Improve patient follow-up

e) Advance data collection and reporting

Results: 11 health centers are reporting standardized outcomes quarterly on BMI and BMI percentiles, physical activity, screen time and fruit and vegetable intake.

Conclusion: Collaborating with and educating health center providers increases capacity in the community and improves access to physical activity and nutrition services.