New Program Reaches out to Preschoolers to Target High Obesity Rates in Lubbock
February 07 2012 - 11:30AM
Business Wire
As part of its efforts to address the nation’s obesity epidemic,
the Aetna Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing to
pilot a childhood obesity-prevention project in Lubbock. The
program is aimed at 4- and 5-year-olds from low-income Hispanic
families, who are at higher risk of developing obesity and its
related diseases, like diabetes and heart disease.
Du Feng, Ph.D., professor at the TTUHSC School of Nursing and
the project’s principal investigator, said addressing obesity in
the state’s Hispanic population is of utmost importance.
“Nearly 50 percent of Hispanic children in grades kindergarten
through sixth in Southeast Texas have been measured above the 85th
percentile on the Body Mass Index (BMI),” Feng said. “If we are to
reverse these alarming statistics, we need to reach children with
proven methods to instill healthier lifestyles at younger ages. Our
goal is to assist low-income families to create and sustain healthy
environments that promote the prevention of childhood obesity.”
Unlike most childhood obesity prevention programs that treat
school-age children and adolescents, the new TTUHSC project has
designed its home-visit family intervention program for at-risk
preschoolers to help the young children and their families adopt
healthy eating habits and active lifestyles before harmful
behaviors become an ingrained way of life.
“Childhood is a critical period for developing a predisposition
to lifelong obesity,” said Sharon Dalton, vice president of the
Aetna Foundation and director of its regional grant making. “Data
show that upwards of three-quarters of obese children become obese
adults. Obesity’s impact on overall health can be devastating. By
reaching out to at-risk children before age 6 and engaging the
entire family, the TTUHSC program has great potential to help
children enjoy good health throughout their lives.”
The program aimed at preschoolers is similar to TTUHSC’s
obesity-prevention program that had significant success several
years ago when introduced to overweight children ages 5 to 8 in
Lubbock and San Elizario. Children who participated in the program
became more physically active, drank fewer sweetened beverages and
had a slower growth rate of body fat and increase of percentile in
BMI, than the overweight children who did not participate in the
intervention program.
The new TTUHSC project, which began Jan. 15, will target
approximately 60 families of predominantly Hispanic preschool
students enrolled in Head Start programs at two Lubbock
elementary schools. Promotoras, or Hispanic community health
workers, will make a minimum of 10 home visits over a 6- to 12-week
period to provide individualized, culturally appropriate education
and social support to encourage healthy eating habits and active
lifestyles, such as ample access to nutrient-dense foods and
beverages for meals and snacks, avoiding use of food as a reward,
having breakfast, reducing television and video game time,
increasing fun and feasible physical activities for the entire
family and sharing meals together.
At the end of the intervention period, researchers will compare
the results of the program to those targeting older children to
gain a better understanding of the optimal age for children to be
engaged in obesity-prevention efforts. The findings have
implications for obesity-prevention programs across the
country.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and
philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the
Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and
sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010. As a
national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and
access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work
is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna
employees, who have volunteered more than 2.3 million
hours since 2003. Aetna’s current giving is focused
on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity
in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and
health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more
information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.
About TTUHSC
To date TTUHSC has trained more than 10,000 health care
professionals. The institution meets the health care needs of more
than 2.5 million people who live throughout a 108-county area from
Texas to Eastern New Mexico.
For more breaking news and experts, follow
@ttuhscnews on Twitter.
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