Obesity rates have risen sharply in the U.S. over the past 30 years, and currently, nearly one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.
[1] Obesity can have serious physical, psychological and social consequences for adults and children. For example, obese children and adolescents are developing "adult" diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, and are at an increased risk for heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer and other serious chronic conditions.
[2] Obese children and adolescents are also more likely to become obese as adults.
[3] Additionally, obesity can cause problems during pregnancy or make it more difficult for a woman to become pregnant.
[4] AMCHP is working to support its members and partners in coordinated efforts to decrease obesity and help children, women and families maintain healthy weights and nutrition.
AMCHP Resources to Prevent Obesity/Overweight
Promoting Healthy Weight: The Role of Title V
(April 2013)
With support from the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ), AMCHP developed this issue brief to address the important role Title V programs play in providing leadership for, developing, and implementing comprehensive programs and systems that address healthy weight, nutrition, and physical activity for women, children, infants and families. This publication highlights how state Title V MCH programs are working to promote healthy weight in their states and communities by presenting an environmental scan of Title V activities and snapshots of several comprehensive state efforts. Click here to download the issue brief.
AMCHP/NICHQ Webinar: Promoting Healthy Weight in MCH Populations
(April 26, 2013)
The obesity epidemic in the U.S. is a long-recognized public health issue that has serious health and economic consequences, especially for children and families. This webinar, co-hosted by AMCHP and NICHQ, highlighted how states and communities are working to promote healthy weight for children, women and families. Presentations provided of state Title V program efforts to address healthy weight, and examples from the Collaborate for Healthy Weight initiative to address obesity at the community level. Click here to download the recording and slides.
AMCHP/CDC Webinar: Using Evidence to Inform Efforts to Confront Childhood Obesity
(July 10, 2012)
AMCHP and CDC hosted a national webinar, "Using Evidence to Inform Efforts to Confront Childhood Obesity." This webinar included an introduction to the Community Guide and highlighted a specific state example for using evidence based interventions to address childhood obesity. Click here to download the webinar recording and slides.
Using the Community Guide to Improve Childhood Obesity Prevention Efforts
(July 2012)
This issue brief provides an overview of the Community Guide and its evidence for childhood obesity interventions in the areas of promoting physical activity, eating healthier, reducing screen-time, and using technology-supported interventions. Click here to download the issue brief.
Project Areas
Healthy Weight Learning Collaborative
AMCHP served as a national partner on the Healthy Weight Learning Collaborative in which 50 trans-sectoral teams from around the country identified, tested and implemented program and policy changes in their communities to achieve local healthy weight objectives. Led by the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ), the work of these teams informed and enhanced the knowledge disseminated through NICHQ’s Collaborate for Healthy Weight (C4HW) project. To learn more, visit www.collaborateforhealthyweight.org.
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AMCHP 2012 Skills-Building Workshop Session: The Collaborate for Healthy Weight Initiative [Feburary 2012]
C4HW's Shikha Anand and Julius Anastasio presented a skills-building session on "Applying Quality Improvement Techniques, Forming Multisector Partnerships, and Leveraging Tools and Resources: The Collaborate for Healthy Weight Initiative" at the 2012 Annual AMCHP Conference. Click here to download the PowerPoint.
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C4HW Action Call: "Using Continuous Quality Improvement to Target Obesity in Latina Populations" [November 2011]
This action call featured a presentation on AMCHP's Best Practices Program, highlighting two Innovation Station practices addressing obesity in Latino populations: La Vida Sana, La Vida Feliz (Chicago, IL) and Healthy Weight Program (Holyoke, MA). Click here to download the PowerPoint and click here to watch the webinar recording.
Resources
- AMCHP/CityMatCH Healthy Weight Action Learning Collaborative – Funded by CDC in 2006-2008, AMCHP and CityMatCH convened an Action Learning Collaborative with eight states between state and local MCH leaders, epidemiologists and community representatives to focus on promoting a healthy weight during pregnancy. Examples of team strategies include: identifying relevant healthy weight messages through focus groups; developing tools and resources to promote healthy weight; raising awareness in the community; and training education providers. Click here to download the Final Report [PDF].
- Community Guide: Obesity Prevention – CDC’s resource for evidence-based Task Force recommendations and findings about what works to improve obesity prevention and control.
- National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity – AMCHP is a member of the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA), which advocates federal policies and programs to promote healthy eating and physical activity to help reduce the illnesses, disabilities, premature deaths and costs caused by diet and inactivity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. Among NANA’s priorities are to strengthen the National School Lunch and Other Child Nutrition Programs.
- Let's Move - the First Lady's initiative, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation.
- Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC)
- Maternal and Child Health Library Knowledge Path: Overweight and Obesity
- Nemours Health & Prevention Services Focus on Childhood Obesity: 5-2-1-Almost None formula for a healthy lifestyle
- U.S. Obesity Trends by State (CDC)
Staff Contact
Kate Taft, Senior Program Manager, Child Health
[1] Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA. 2010;303(3):242-249.
[2] Freedman DS, Mei Z, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS, Dietz WH. Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Pediatr. 2007 Jan;150(1):12–17.e2.
[3] Whitaker RC, Wright JA, Pepe MS, Seidel KD, Dietz WH. Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med 1997; 37(13):869–873.
[4] CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. CDC Vital Signs: Adult Obesity. August 2010. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/VitalSigns/pdf/2010-08-vitalsigns.pdf.