The Effectiveness of a Multi-Component Community Program for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

Trends in childhood obesity have increased in the past several decades at an alarming rate. According to the CDC, there are 12.5 million children ages 2-19 years affected by the condition. There are many associated comorbidities to childhood obesity and they are negatively affecting our nation’s youth. Research supports childhood obesity prevention programs that are familybased, take place in the community, and include education about nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change. B.Healthy Families is a program designed to address the issue of childhood obesity in a rural county in the Midwest. It was a six week community-based program that involved the entire family. Families were recruited by local health care providers. A total of 12 families and 16 children participated in the program. For two hours each week, families attended sessions, held at the local YMCA focused on nutrition, physical activity, and behavior modification. In addition, they participated in physical activities. Effectiveness was measured. Quantitative data were obtained regarding knowledge, behaviors, and utilization of a healthy habits initiative. Qualitative data were collected through a phone interview using two questionnaires based on the Health Promotion Model (Pender, 2011). Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed Rank Test revealed a significant improvement in the number of servings of fruits and vegetables children consumed each day. This was the only statically significant finding; however families did show slight improvements in several other healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Future programs should provide further assistance to families regarding behavior modification and how to incorporate healthy eating and physical activity into their lives