A community-based approach appears to be more effective when confronting childhood obesity, according to new findings published in Pediatrics.
“In measuring the effectiveness of community-based programs that impact childhood obesity – more comprehensive interventions are definitely better,” said Sara Bleich, PhD, associate professor of Health Policy and Management and lead author on the paper in a school press release.
Researchers, at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reviewed nine studies with a focus on childhood obesity prevention programs. They found community-based intervention programs that incorporate schools and focus on both diet and physical activity are more effective at preventing obesity in children.
“The research shows that in order to help prevent obesity among children, we must focus on both diet and exercise in the communities where children live and go to school since the environment is a key contributor to obesity risk. Focusing on the community is especially important for children since they generally have little or no control over their environment,” said Bleich.
This shift toward a stronger community focus is echoed in a recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention, which recommends a comprehensive approach to childhood obesity prevention that includes the community.
“While additional research is needed to assess the full impact of community-based interventions on the prevention of childhood obesity, our conclusions indicate that more comprehensive approaches, which attempt to modify diet and exercise in the community with engagement from the schools, weigh in everyone’s favor,” said Bleich.
Today, about one in three American children and teenagers is overweight or obese which is nearly triple the rate in 1963, according to the American Heart Association (AMA).
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