UC Berkeley

Background

Despite recent declines among young children, obesity remains a public health burden in the United States, including among Latino/Hispanic children. The determining factors are many and are too complex to fully address with interventions that focus on single factors, such as parenting behaviors or school policies. In this article, we describe a multisector, multilevel intervention to prevent and control childhood obesity in predominantly Mexican-origin communities in Southern California, one of three sites of the CDC-funded Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CA-CORD) study.

Methods

CA-CORD is a partnership between a university-affiliated research institute, a federally qualified health center, and a county public health department. We used formative research, advisory committee members' recommendations, and previous research to inform the development of the CA-CORD project. Our theory-informed multisector, multilevel intervention targets improvements in four health behaviors: fruit, vegetable, and water consumption; physical activity; and quality sleep. Intervention partners include 1200 families, a federally qualified health center (including three clinics), 26 early care and education centers, two elementary school districts (and 20 elementary schools), three community recreation centers, and three restaurants. Intervention components in these sectors target changes in behaviors, policies, systems, and the social and physical environment. Evaluation activities include assessment of the primary outcome, BMI z-score, at baseline, 12-, and 18-months post-baseline, and sector evaluations at baseline, 12, and 24 months.

Conclusions

Identifying feasible and effective strategies to prevent and control childhood obesity has the potential to effect real changes in children's current and future health status.