Implementation of an after-school childhood obesity prevention program in culturally diverse communities in rural Idaho: A three-year longitudinal study

The prevalence of childhood obesity in the industrialized world has increased in the last thirty years due to reduced physical activity levels and poor diets. Previous studies have suggested that childhood obesity is one of the highest risk factors leading to adult obesity, which is strongly related to other serious health problems. The purpose of this three-year study was to examine the impact of an after-school physical activity and nutrition education program on third and fourth graders in three rural, culturally diverse schools in Idaho. The program, Active Kids club (AKC), also included a parent nutritional and physical activity component and utilized community resources such as Terry Reilly Health Services, a local non-profit comprehensive health care provider and the YMCA. Body Mass Index (BMI) and fitness scores were collected at the beginning and end of each school year on all students. Students at risk for overweight (BMI>85th percentile) and/or with low fitness scores were recruited for participation in AKC. Participants completed pre and post test surveys designed to measure knowledge and awareness of healthy eating, physical activity, and positive social skills. Preliminary results from this longitudinal study demonstrated that over 50% of at risk, under-represented children participated in AKC, and involvement in AKC may serve as a protective measure against children becoming overweight as measured by BMI. In addition, participation had a statistically significant impact on knowledge of healthy snacks (p=0.004) as well as high parental satisfaction with 86 % of parents surveyed rating the program as excellent.