A Multifaceted Community Approach Preventing Child Obesity Through Standards-Based Classroom Instruction Using an Interactive Inform Tech

The extent and underlying factors leading to the rise of childhood obesity are well documented with prevalence rates derived from the NHANES (CDC) indicating a significant upward trend over the last 30 years. Between 1974 and 2004 childhood overweight rates increased from 4.0% to 18.8% in our target population - school aged children (ages 6-11 years). The 2004 survey data indicates a near doubling in the incidence in overweight adolescent children since the preceding survey that was completed 10 years earlier. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports the prevalence of overweight adolescents increased to: 25.4% and 18.5% for Non-Hispanic Black Adolescent Girls and Boys Respectively 15.4% and 19.1% for Non-Hispanic White Adolescent Girls and Boys Respectively 14.1% and 18.3% for Mexican American Adolescent Girls and Boys Respectively This effort is informed by research that extends the significance/implication of overweight children beyond its impact on health and well-being by demonstrating the negative effects that persistent childhood obesity has on a child's academic and socioemotional outcomes. The incidence of overweight children correlates to several racial, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic indicators with the likelihood of a child being obese is inversely related to socio-economic status. American Indian, Hispanic and Asian boys, African-American girls descent are more likely to be overweight than their white/non-Hispanic peers. This project represents a significant opportunity to address the problem of childhood obesity by linking nutritional educators and health care professionals with teachers and other community based informal educators acting as "empowered professionals" to engage childhood obesity through an interactive, multifaceted, and bi-lingual technology platform enabling: Teachers to integrate nutritional science lessons into existing classroom curricula to based on the National Science Education Standard and the recommendations of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, New England Journal of Medicine, and American Academy of Pediatrics. Informal educators and community leaders to engage in multitude of complementary, community based healthy eating and exercise programs activities. All "geographically centered" stakeholders to participate in a highly visible, broad-based social/professional network utilizing well-developed social marketing strategies to actively involve communities and promote greater access to the at-risk population. We join in the challenge set by Healthy People 2010 who cite the importance of: Well-designed curriculum that effectively addresses essential nutrition education topics can increase students' knowledge about nutrition, help shape appropriate attitudes, and help develop the behavioral skills students need to plan, prepare, and select healthful foods. Curricula that encourage specific, healthful eating behaviors and provide students with the skills needed to adopt and maintain those behaviors have led to favorable changes in student dietary behaviors and cardiovascular disease risk factors.