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Adapting a Weight Management Program for Children Ages 3-7: Kids N Fitness Jr., A Pilot Study

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Megan Lipton-Inga, MA, CCRP , Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Emily Millen, MPH , Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Sharon Braun, MS, RD, CDE, , Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes, & Metabolism, Children's Hosptial Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Grace Anaya, B.S. , Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Steven Mittelman, Ph.D.,/MD , Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Background: Nearly one-third of low-income preschool children are obese.  Obese children are more likely to become obese adults, increasing the risk of chronic disease later in life. The majority of weight management programs target older children, despite a volume of research suggesting this is too late.  To address this issue, a team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles piloted Kids N Fitness Jr. (KNF Jr.), a program for low-income families with overweight children.

Methods: KNF Jr. is a six-week program consisting of nutrition education, physical activity, and goal setting administered to children ages 3-7 and their parents. It was adapted from our evidence-based Kids N Fitness program geared towards older children. Key adaptations include nutrition-related craft projects such as MyPlate collage, “fat stain” artwork, storytelling with nutritional messaging and greater emphasis on educating parents. The program was informed by the Health Belief Model.

Children and parents’ height, weight, BMI, BMI z-score, blood pressure and waist circumference were recorded at baseline, 6-weeks and 3-months.

Results: Children in KNF Jr. (n=28) decreased waist circumference (p=0.034) from baseline to 6-weeks and had a borderline significant decrease in BMI z-score (p=0.06) which remained lower at 3-month follow-up. Mean parent weight, BMI and waist circumference also decreased through 3-month follow-up, although not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Engaging young children in age-appropriate weight management programs shows promise for decreasing weight velocity. As we continue to pilot and refine the program, additional data will determine if KNF Jr. is an evidence-based weight management program akin to KNF.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the process of adapting a weight management program targeting older children to fit the physical and cognitive needs of preschool children Identify at least three components of a successful nutrition education program for young children Describe the challenges of creating and adapting an effective program for families with young children

Keyword(s): Child Health Promotion, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 9 years experience running weight management programs and research studies for children and adolescents. I am the Principal Investigator on the Kids N Fitness Junior Efficacy Study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2074.0: Pediatric Obesity: Screening, Prevention, and Treatment Strategies