Stemming the tide of childhood obesity in an underserved urban African American population: a pilot study

Abstract

Recent data indicate that Americans are gaining weight at an alarming rate. It is estimated that over 12 million American children ages 2-19 years are overweight, with African American (AA) children comprising 20% of this cohort. The problem of obesity appears to be more prominent in some southern states. According to a new report by the Trust for America's Health, Mississippi has the 1st highest rate of adult obesity and the 8th highest rate of overweight youth ages 10-17 nationwide. The Kids for Healthy Eating and Exercising (KHEE) club was a model developed in the North Midtown area of Jackson, Mississippi. The purpose of this project was to develop the first weight control program and model specifically designed for AA children in the North Midtown area of the city of Jackson. This program devised measures to effectively enhance the lifestyle changes of selected obese children representing the target population. Results of the pilot project revealed the following changes among all participants: a decrease in body mass index (BMI); a decrease in waist girth of greater than 4 inches; and positive behavioral changes as documented in the daily entries of the participants' food journal.