Farm to Family Obesity Initiative: A comprehensive prevention program involving physical activity, nutrition education and a food access program in Louisville, KY

Background: 21% of children in Kentucky are overweight or obese and often have limited access to fresh produce. Collaborative efforts with Kentucky One Health, Food Literacy Project, and New Roots allowed for implementation of the Farm to Family Obesity Prevention Initiative with technical assistance from Johns Hopkins University and funding from Johnson and Johnson Community Health Program.  This program aims to prevent childhood obesity among an at-risk population of children by increasing knowledge of healthy eating, self-efficacy related to food choices, and improved healthy eating behaviors.

Methods:  Using a collaborative approach, academic partners helped to enhance the in-house capacity of Farm to Family in monitoring and evaluation by designing a program based on a conceptual framework that informed program goals, objectives, interventions, and outcomes. An 8-month pilot was implemented during which children and caregivers completed a nutrition and physical activity education program with access to farm fresh produce. The pilot was followed by a 20-month implementation phase using revised curriculum and data collection tools.

Results:  Among 82 participating children, 17.07% were overweight and 29.27% were obese at baseline. Preliminary results show improved nutrition and physical activity knowledge. Additionally, implementation of intervention activities increased in-house capacity and community reach beyond monitoring and evaluation, enhancing long-term sustainability.  

Conclusion:  Evaluation of this comprehensive obesity prevention program identified key areas as successful components for effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Capacity building provides a strong foundation for program sustainability. Academia/Community partnerships can advance monitoring and evaluation systems for community-based programs.