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Childhood Obesity : An Ecological Approach Targeting Child Care Centers

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Running head: PREVENTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

Preventing Childhood Obesity in Contra Costa County
MPH 622: An ecological approach targeting child care centers
Arlette Hernandez
University of San Francisco

The aim of this policy proposal is to address the importance of creating an early intervention program to reduce childhood obesity. This prevention plan will be conducted within the cities of San Pablo and Richmond in Contra Costa County. It will focus on meeting the Healthy California 2020 goals of promoting health, adopting healthy eating habits, and maintaining a healthy body weight. This proposal will collaborate with local nutritionists and health educators to provide child care centers with the…show more content…
The adults in the child’s life influence what the child eats, and the opportunities they have to be active. The environment equally influences the risk of young children becoming overweight. The lack of safe play areas and access to fresh food stores, and high cost of nutritious snacks all influence the current childhood obesity rate in the United States (Nutrition and Weight Status, 2013).
Statement of Problem Obesity is the second leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Being overweight and obese has become more prevalent and increased during the last three decades in both adults and children. Currently, 25 million children in the United States are obese or overweight (Babey, Wolstein, Diamant, Bloom, and Goldstein, 2011). The rise in childhood obesity and related health diseases are indicators of a decrease in life expectancy and increased individual and societal costs (Olshansky et al., 2005).
Being overweight and obese are associated with serious health risks for children. According to Crawford et al. (2013) one-sixth of all school-age obese children have developed an early onset of health problems compared to those within the healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) range. Children who are overweight and obese have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease due to high cholesterol and high blood pressure (Crawford et al., 2013). In addition, one-third of children will develop type-2 diabetes due to high-fasting insulin and various
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