An Inner City Clinic's Replicable Model to Fight Obesity From Birth

Background: The South Bronx Health Center for Children and Families is located in one of the poorest congressional districts in the US and serves a predominantly Latino and Black/African American population. Like other urban poor communities, a disproportionate number of children are overweight or obese; 35% of children aged 2 – 19 years are overweight or obese compared to 17% in the US. Methods: To address pediatric obesity epidemic Well Baby Group Care (WBGC) was launched in 2007 for infants 0-18 months of age offering bilingual primary care visits in a group setting. The WBGC curriculum was designed to be preventive by providing key nutrition lessons and encouraging exercise using interactive activities. Recruitment comes from women enrolled in the health center's group or individual prenatal program. Results: Thirty-six culturally diverse families have enrolled in WBGC. Eighty-one percent of participants completed 70%, 67% completed 80%, and 47% completed 100% of the program. The majority (86%) of participants initiated breastfeeding; 31% of women who attended both prenatal and pediatric group care breastfed for >6 months compared to 0% of women who attended group pediatric care only, p <0.05%. Ninety-eight percent of children have maintained normal weight/height for age for the duration of the program. Discussion: WBGC effectively improves breast feeding rates and prevents unhealthy weight gain in infants. Group care allows for in-depth education and skill development. As a shift in the paradigm of care, it can positively impact health outcomes. . Further evaluation will compare results from WBGC to traditional care.