Preventing childhood obesity in Latino children in northern Philadelphia: A multifaceted program involving after-school physical activity, nutrition education, and workshops with caregivers

Background: The prevalence of obesity is high among Latino children. The objective of project F.U.N. (Families Understanding Nutrition) and Fit through Play is to prevent childhood obesity among Latinos (ages 5-12) through a comprehensive intervention program. A community/academic partnership was developed between “A Better Start” from the Albert Einstein Health Network, the ASPIRA School, and the Johns Hopkins/Johnson & Johnson Community Healthcare Scholars program to perform this intervention and develop community-based capacity in monitoring and evaluating.

Methods: During an eight month pilot phase, children completed six weeks of after-school activities involving nutrition education and physical activity along with parent-child workshops. To evaluate the project's effectiveness, a conceptual framework was utilized to identify measurable indicators in surveys and a data management system was developed.

Results: There is a high burden of childhood obesity in this community as approximately half of the children were classified as “overweight” or “at risk for overweight”. Initial findings suggest significant improvements in indicators involving the children's nutritional knowledge after program implementation. Additionally, “A Better Start” has developed a proficiency in monitoring and evaluation skills. Further improvements in children's knowledge and behavior are expected during the project's twenty month implementation phase.

Conclusions: This program, involving an at-risk group of Latino children in Philadelphia, aims to prevent childhood obesity. The evaluation of this multifaceted obesity prevention program identifies its successful components and can improve its future effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Partnerships between academic institutions and community-based organizations can advance the ability to monitor and evaluate community based programs.