Battling Pediatric Obesity in West Virginia: Helping Healthy Win

The Food Dudes, a healthy eating intervention program, could be useful in battling pediatric obesity and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in rural Appalachia. Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic with 30-40% of U.S. children classified as overweight or obese. Increasing trends in overweight and obese preschool-age children also exist with rates nearly doubling from 1990 to 2010. The prevalence of obesity is particularly high in the Appalachian region of the United States. As of 2012, 28.1% of children in West Virginia were classified as either overweight or obese. In 2009, Cabell County fell into the highest category of pediatric obesity for the state, with 13-22% of children age two through four classifying as obese. Childhood obesity is a pervasive issue that leads to serious health problems later in life (e.g., Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer). In response to this, programs have been implemented to combat pediatric obesity. This poster introduces information about a healthy eating intervention program, The Food Dudes, which has been effective in several European countries. Also presented in this poster are clinical implications of The Food Dudes program in West Virginia