A Synthesis of the Literature on Interventions to Improve the Diets of African American Youth in order to Prevent Overweight and Obesity

This literature review examines the problem of overweight and obesity in African American youth focusing on what is currently known regarding interventions designed to improve the diets of this population. The paper discusses the causes and contributing factors to the rise of overweight and obesity, followed by an overview of the major types of interventions that have been designed to address factors across the social-ecological continuum--that is, from the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels, paying particular attention to school-based interventions. The cultural appropriateness of nutrition interventions for African American youth and barriers to program effectiveness are also explored. Evidence from the literature suggests the need to employ multi-component interventions which emphasize upstream, policy change. In addition, collaborative partnerships have also been identified as being necessary in order to sustain interventions and maximize their long-term impacts. The issue of overweight and obesity among African American youth is a significant public health problem that is associated with the poor quality of diet. Improving the diets of African American children and adolescents requires multi-component, coordinated efforts in order to ameliorate the negative health consequences. This issue suggests the need for continued research to develop effective interventions