Thursday, October 26, 11:00
a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Moderator
RADM Van S. Hubbard, M.D., Ph.D., FAAP
Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service; Senior Advisor to
the Secretary on Obesity, Office of the Secretary
Presentations
THE EFFECTS OF VIDEO GAMES TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN OBESE CHILDREN
Linda Carson, Ed.D.;
Emily Spangler Murphy, M.S.; Justine Vosloo; David Donley, M.S.; Kimberly Richison, M.S.
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
The West Virginia Games for Health Project was initiated in 2004 as a clinical research study
using Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) with overweight children ranging in age from 7–12 years who had
documented endothelial dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of a 12-week
home-based aerobic exercise program using DDR on endothelial function and other risk factors
associated with both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Subjects were assigned to an
exercise or delayed-treatment control group. Subjects assigned to the exercise group were asked
to do DDR at least five times a week for 30 minutes or longer. All subjects were asked to log
daily activity, DDR time, steps per day, and screen time (other than DDR) each day. Subjects
were asked to send activity logs into the Games for Health office at the end of the week, and
Games for Health staff made phone-coaching calls to encourage continued participation at least
one time per week. The preliminary findings of this study indicate that overweight children will
comply to an exercise intervention using DDR and that the use of DDR as an exercise modality has
positive effects on the health profile of overweight children including endothelial function.
Based on the positive results of the pilot project, the researchers and partners involved
implemented a multi-phased statewide project. Phase 1 will result in the implementation of
DDR into all West Virginia public schools. Phase 2 involves the development of after-school
DDR clubs. Phase 3 will develop networking capabilities among participating schools as well
as annual statewide fun DDR competitions. The statewide project's overall purpose is to provide
increased opportunities for physical activity for both students and school staff, and aggregate
school data will be used to determine the impact. With the development of DDR clubs, more
specific outcomes will be evaluated.
THE KIDNETIC.COM LEADER'S GUIDE: PROMOTING HEALTHFUL LIFESTYLES FROM THE WEB TO
COMMUNITY-BASED SETTINGS
Laura W. Hatch, M.P.H., CHES
International Food Information Council, Washington, DC
The Kidnetic.com Leader's Guide is an educational toolkit based on
Kidnetic.com, a Web site that promotes
healthful eating and physical activity among 9- to 12-year old children. It was developed
as a childhood obesity prevention initiative in collaboration with six leading health, food,
and science organizations. Since its launch in 2004, this 13-module curriculum has undergone
extensive pilot programs, which have introduced new features, updated information from
MyPyramid, more physical activity, and greater parental involvement in the learning activities.
The modules are organized under five general topics: Fitness, Food,
Fun, Feelings, and Family. Each module consists of goals, short learning
activities, and structured action plans that can be conducted in a variety of formal
(e.g., classroom) or informal (e.g., after-school program) settings, learning group sizes,
and timeframes. Regular e-mail correspondence between facilitators and participants at the
end of the module series serves to reinforce new health behaviors and to increase
children's and parents' self-efficacy through follow-up information, tips, and
social support. Facilitators also may obtain supplemental information through the Internet-based
resources listed. Three forms of evaluation are used to measure curriculum impact: a pre-post
module health behavior checklist; a tally sheet for tracking participant reach and handout
distribution; and a follow-up summary form to record contacts made with participants via e-mail.
Since July 2004, more than 45,000 copies were disseminated and results from pilot programs
showed positive changes in the following health behaviors:
- Eating five fruits and vegetables everyday
- Snacking only when hungry
- Spending more time playing outside or doing alternative activities to watching TV
- Reading food labels to check the serving size
- Paying attention to portion sizes
The Leader's Guide is available in print and online forms for use by health professionals, educators, and others who work closely with children.
THE HEALTHY CHILDREN, HEALTHY WEIGHTS PROGRAM
Cara Texler, M.P.H., R.D., L.D.; Jayne Moreau, M.P.H.,
CHES
Columbus Public Health, Columbus, OH
Healthy Children, Healthy Weights (HCHW) prevents childhood overweight and obesity by providing
training, resources, and mentoring to childcare providers and early childhood educators serving
children from birth through age 5. HCHW offers practical strategies that address key, evidence-based
issues impacting childhood overweight including body image, weight assessment, developmentally
appropriate physical activity, television viewing, nutrition and eating behaviors, beverage
choices, breastfeeding, and adults as role models. HCHW equips participants with a toolkit and
interactive training. Partnering with community organizations, HCHW provides assessment and
technical assistance to increase toolkit utilization and implement environmental changes. Parents
are reached through childcare settings by employing social marketing strategies.
Research indicates that children have established eating patterns and body image by the age of 5.
Childcare providers and early childhood educators are the primary audience for HCHW as they have
great influence on young children. These adults make significant changes to a child's daily routine
and environment, and serve as a prime communication outlet for parents. In addition, HCHW
collaborates with community partners to promote consistent key messages through essential channels,
such as healthcare and faith-based organizations. Currently, 726 adults have participated in HCHW,
reaching an estimated 6,660 children.
HCHW was developed using a process that included a pre-test, focus groups, stakeholder interviews,
a 2-month field test, and a 6-month pilot. Survey data indicate that at 6 months, 76 percent
of childcare participants used toolbox ideas or activities; 59.6 percent served appropriate food
portions; 61.5 percent served a greater variety of foods; and 63.5 percent reported children in
their care became more physically active. As a result of the social marketing component, parents
reported serving children fewer high calorie drinks (mean = 2.53, p < 0.03) and viewing less
television (mean = 2.05 hours) compared to parents who were unaware of HCHW at follow-up
(mean = 2.78 hours).
CATCH (COORDINATED APPROACH TO CHILD HEALTH) PROGRAM
Steven Kelder, Ph.D., M.P.H.
University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX
CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) is a program to promote physical activity and
healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in elementary school-age children. CATCH employs
a holistic approach to child health promotion by targeting multiple aspects of the school
environment and involving classroom teachers, school food service staff, physical education
teachers, students' families, and the broader school community in a range of health-promoting
activities for all children in grades K–5. The ease of implementation, design of teacher-friendly
materials, and extensive evaluation results have made CATCH an attractive program for wide-scale
dissemination.
CATCH was originally funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and evaluated in
the largest elementary school-based randomized controlled trial ever conducted in the United
States. Results from the CATCH study showed significant program effects for decreasing fat
consumption and increasing physical activity among children and adolescents. Follow-up research
found that these behavioral changes were maintained 3 years after the program, without further
intervention. In addition, a recent replication study of CATCH in elementary schools in El Paso,
Texas, reported significant effects of the program on preventing the onset of overweight among children.
As of August 2006, CATCH was adopted by more than 1,930 elementary schools in Texas, which
potentially impacts more than 900,000 children. Recently, large CATCH initiatives have been
funded in two major metropolitan regions in Texas: (1) Houston-Harris County, through Houston
Endowment in partnership with Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, and
(2) Austin-Travis County, through the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.
For questions or more information, please contact
summit@hhs.gov.
