Lessons learned from a community-based childhood obesity initiative

Childhood obesity is a serious public health risk contributing to health and educational disparities among the growing population of minority children in the United States. Alarming rates of obesity are striking hardest among low-income, minority children already at high risk for poor academic performance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in seven economically disadvantaged preschoolers is obese when they enter school. Research consistently reports the association of childhood overweight with poor academic performance. This double jeopardy threatens children's health and widens the achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged children. This session will report lessons learned through a community-based public health initiative aimed at early obesity prevention in a Latino community. The project was initiated in response to community residents who voiced their concerns about the rise of childhood obesity in their neighborhoods. The complexity of childhood obesity in the community led to a comprehensive approach based on ecological systems theory. Project strategies were aimed at improving the social and physical environments of children in home and child care contexts. Promotoras, an organized group of community residents, were trained to take an active role in implementing the initiative. Strategies were developed in response to residents and were evaluated for acceptability and effectiveness. The session will describe strategies for building collaboration to address childhood obesity involving community residents, public agencies, non-profit organizations, and university investigators and students. Lessons learned regarding the dynamics of community collaboration and results of research generated by the project will be shared.