Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr;48(2 Pt 1):603-27.
doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01447.x. Epub 2012 Jul 20.

Obesity prevention: the impact of local health departments

Zhuo Adam Chen  1 , Kakoli Roy, Carol A Gotway Crawford
Affiliations

Obesity prevention: the impact of local health departments

Zhuo Adam Chen et al. Health Serv Res. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between bodyweight status and provision of population-based prevention services.

Data sources: The National Association of City and County Health Officials 2005 Profile survey data, linked with two cross-sections of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in 2004 and 2005.

Study design: Multilevel logistic regressions were used to examine the association between provision of obesity-prevention services and the change in risk of being obese or morbidly obese among BRFSS respondents. The estimation sample was stratified by sex. Low-income samples were also examined. Falsification tests were used to determine whether there is counterevidence.

Principal findings: Provision of population-based obesity-prevention services within the jurisdiction of local health departments and specifically those provided by the local health departments are associated with reduced risks of obesity and morbid obesity from 2004 to 2005. The magnitude of the association appears to be stronger among low-income populations and among women. Results of the falsification tests provide additional support of the main findings.

Conclusions: Population-based obesity-prevention services may be useful in containing the obesity epidemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Altman DE, Morgan DH. “The Role of State and Local Government in Health”. Health Affairs. 1983;2(4):7–31. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006; 2006.
    1. Christiansen E, Garby L, Sørensen TI. “Quantitative Analysis of the Energy Requirements for Development of Obesity”. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2005;234:99–106. - PubMed
    1. Erwin PC. “The Performance of Local Health Departments: A Review of the Literature”. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 2008;14(2):e9–18. - PubMed
    1. Fan AZ, Mallawaarachchi DS, Gilbertz D, Li Y, Mokdad AH. “Lifestyle Behaviors and Receipt of Preventive Health Care Services among Hypertensive Americans Aged 45 Years or Older in 2007”. Preventive Medicine. 2010;50(3):138–42. - PubMed