Examining the Effectiveness of School-based Interventions for the Prevention of Obesity in Children

Team Mentor:

Dr. Katherine Cason, Professor
Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition
State EFNEP Coordinator

 

Obesity is an epidemic that affects all facets of society, including children.  The prevalence of obesity in children has nearly quadrupled over the past 30 years. Many of the interventions aimed at preventing obesity in children have not been successful. Preventive programs may need to be initiated since the early stages of life, and in order to achieve good results it is highly important to work in a multilevel manner.  Therefore, there is a need for innovative interventions designed to prevent childhood obesity among young children.
Objectives:

• Utilizing a comprehensive program-planning model, implement a needs assessment that includes interviews and surveys to determine needs of the target population
• Identify educational, behavioral and social, and environmental and policy approaches
• Implement and evaluate an intervention that focuses on healthy eating and physical activity.