Border Obesity Prevention (BOP): Development of a binational strategic framework

Over the past three decades, there has been an alarming increase in childhood and adolescent obesity worldwide. This increase has raised concern regarding the link between obesity and chronic health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Among U.S. children, those of Hispanic origin, especially Mexican-American children, have the highest rates of obesity. Obesity rates are also relatively higher in many of the 10 US-Mexico border states and particularly in their respective border regions (i.e., 100 kilometer on either side of the border).  A Border Obesity Prevention (BOP) Technical Work Group has been working to develop an obesity prevention strategy by exploring perspectives of various stakeholders, including differences and similarities in the US-Mexico border region, sharing policy and program experiences, and identifying data and information gaps.  Four workgroups were established, as follows: 1) Breastfeeding, 2) Healthy Eating, 3) Physical Activity and Active Living and 4) Communications.  Promising practices identified by the BOP Technical Work Group are being used to guide the development of recommendations and a BOP strategic framework plan with the overall goal that they be integrated into US-Mexico organizations’ strategic plans border wide.