Work it Out: Engaging public health partners in the 21st century

According to national estimates, more than 20% of children and youth, 6 to 19 years of age are obese in the United States with the prevalence of childhood obesity tripling in the last 30 years (since 1980). In the face of shrinking state and local budgets for health promotion and education interventions, public health practitioners arguably have an urgent need to develop collaborative partnerships to implement youth focused health education programs and should further explore innovative opportunities to create sustainable public health pipeline programs that engage non-traditional partners. Since 2005, the Metro Public Health Department has worked to develop successful multi-sector partnerships (schools, private foundations, extension programs, non-profit organizations, parks and recreation departments, etc) to address adolescent obesity prevention and health promotion. One successfully leveraged partnership resulted in the youth-led, cost-efficient Fitness Club Program. The Fitness Club is a 12-week nutrition and physical activity program created for low-come overweight/obese youth by low-come overweight/obese youth to address risk factors associated with premature death related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes in ethnic minority populations. Major program accomplishments include: 1. Significant changes in pre and post microfit analysis for youth who completed program (e.g. increase flexibility, aerobic fitness level and BMI change); 2. Increase nutrition and healthy eating knowledge based on pre/post test assessment) and; 3. Increase in weekly physical activity in target population (a mean of 120 minutes more per week). The implications include potential replicable high leverage partnerships in other urban centers to improve and sustain health status of minority youth.