Overview

The overall aim of this presentation is to allow the public health practitioner to choose those prevention methods and settings specific to Childhood Obesity Prevention which are most appropriate to their target audience using evidence-based methods.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize the rising prevalence of childhood obesity, particularly among at-risk populations, such as ethnic and minority groups.
• Identify the various factors that result in childhood obesity, with an emphasis on environmental factors.
• Describe why from a public health standpoint the major goal is prevention as opposed to treatment of childhood obesity.
• Examine which settings are most effective for childhood obesity prevention programs, and apply this knowledge critically to your specific target population given their needs and resources.
• Discuss why a settings-based approach which uses multiple settings is more effective than a single settings approach.
• Explain the benefits of using evidence-based approaches to obesity prevention in children.