Strategic planning and treatment of childhood obesity: STEPS towards fitness

As a response to the obesity public health epidemic, in 2003, we led the development of a community-wide Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Treatment of Overweight Children in Houston – Harris County. According to a Texas Department of Health survey, the percentage of fourth graders who were at risk or overweight was almost 50%, and these were the highest rates of all Public Health Regions in Texas. It was also noted that obesity disproportionately affects some ethnic groups at higher and faster rates than others, particularly Latino girls and African-American boys. This presentation will explore the strategic, comprehensive, academic and community-based planning method, and the associated evidence-based program(s) launched county-wide since the plan's inception. Following the CDC guidelines, strategic recommendations included program interventions for both nutrition and physical activity. Results should be valuable for health planners regarding the design and intervention of a multi-phase intervention strategy as well as health educators involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of community- and family-based interventions especially for minority families. One of the most compelling outcomes was the training of over 450 elementary schools in 20 school districts reaching more than 300,000 children since 2006. Preliminary results indicate that percent of PE class time spent on Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity increased. The effort also birthed a recognized Best Practices in Nutrition and Physical Activity Program in Texas in 2007. Innovative, collaborative-based funding strategies will also be discussed. Evaluation data gleaned from the interventions will help guide next generation interventions, as well as, funding strategies.