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There is a need for efficacious interventions to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity, and a limited body of research suggests that collaborative community-based programs designed for children and their caregivers may be effective in reducing obesity rates. This paper reports the results of a community-based obesity intervention, South County Food, Fitness and Fun (SCFFF), designed for preadolescent children who are overweight or obese and their caregivers. SCFFF was developed in response to community concerns. Families were referred to the program by their physician and participated in the program at no cost. The 16-week intervention includes weekly group nutrition and physical activity sessions. Analyses determined that 65 out of the 97 children who completed SCFFF provided 2-year follow-up data and had reduced BMI z-scores over 2 years following the intervention. These participants decreased their energy, fat, carbohydrate, saturated fat, and sodium intake and increased core body strength and endurance from baseline to the end of the intervention. SCFFF was effective in reducing relative weight and improving diet and core muscle strength and endurance in children who are overweight or obese.

Reducing the rate of weight gain is critical for overweight young children to avoid obesity in adolescence which is highly predictive of adult obesity. South County Food Fitness and Fun is a community‐based, 16‐week program for 6‐10 year old children referred by their physicians with BMI > 85%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate preliminary results among children completing the intervention. Completers (n=71; mean age=8.6±1.2 years, BMI=24.5±4.0 kg/m2, 61% female) decreased Z‐BMI from 2.0±0.6 baseline to 1.9±0.6 post program (p<.001). Among those with 2‐year follow‐up (n=33), Z‐BMI decreased from 1.9±0.4 baseline to 1.7±0.6 2‐year follow‐up (p=.03). Dietary variables were assessed pre and post intervention by the Harvard Youth/Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire; participants with complete dietary data (n=69) decreased energy intake from 2116±504 kcal to 1886±424 kcal (p<.001) as well as decreased saturated fat from 10.3±1.6 % kcal to 9.9±1.7 % kcal (p<.05) and sodium from 2634±677 mg to 2339±523 mg (p<.001). Dietary fiber increased from 8.6±2.0 grams/1,000 kcal to 9.6±2.3 grams/1,000 kcal (p<.001). There were no changes in calcium, Vitamin D, added sugar, or potassium. In conclusion, this intervention program was associated with a reduction in the rate of weight gain in overweight children as well as an improvement in dietary quality, thus could help reduce the risk of these children becoming obese adults.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of South County Food, Fitness and Fun (SCFFF), a 16-week community-based obesity prevention program, on children's moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), physical fitness, body mass index (BMI), and BMI z-score. A non-randomized pre-test and post-test study design was used to assess changes in MVPA, physical fitness, BMI and BMI z-score from baseline to program end. MVPA was measured by accelerometer, physical fitness measured by Fitnessgram, and height and weight were measured by stadiometer and scale and used to calculate BMI. The analytic sample for this study included 53 children from nine SCFFF programs conducted between 2011-2016. There was a significant increase in the percentage of time children spent participating in MVPA (1.12%; p=0.022), curl-ups (p<0.001) and trunk lifts (p=0.004). BMI z-score decreased (p<0.001). Results reinforce the importance of offering community-based interventions that include caregivers to prevent excess weight gain in children.

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After controlling for critical thinking disposition and university in the regression, the intervention group had a significantly higher CDM score (18.10 ± 7.5) compared to the control (15.48 ± 8.3); F(3,428) = 13.05, P < .001. The differences in scores were explained by a greater percentage of the intervention making a decision (91.2%) vs. the control (80.0%); P = .004 and using more evidence based reasons (1.61 ± 1.1) vs. the control (1.27 ± 1.0); P = .001. Conclusions and Implications:The results of this study give evidence that providing a contextual framework helps students utilize CDM skills. Future interventions should consider using the CDM framework when aiming to increase CT.