The Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Program and its effectiveness

Childhood Obesity

The problems related to childhood obesity are extensive and troubling to healthcare officials, educators, parents and civic leaders. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the percentage of obese children aged 6-11 years of age in the U.S. in 1980 was 7%. By 2012 that percentage rose to 18%. For adolescents ages 12-19, in 1980 some 5% were obese but by 2012 that percentage skyrocketed to 21% (CDC). The reason these data are worrisome is that obese young people are at risk for cardiovascular diseases (high cholesterol, high blood pressure), for diabetes, and for "bone and joint problems, sleep apnea," and psychological problems (such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem) (CDC). The World Health Organization counts " ... 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese" in 2014 (WHO, 2015).

Treatment Initiaves - Interventions

A study in the journal BMC Public Health reports that he problem of childhood obesity is particularly serious among " ... socio-economically disadvantages Latino and Black children" (Cloutier, et al., 2015). Hence, the goals of the Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Program (ECHO) are to zero in on the first year of a child's life and have mothers become "agents of change" in order to "modify their own behavior and their infant's behavior" (Cloutier, 1).

This particular intervention involved six family-support centers in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Hartford, CT; fifty-seven mothers were recruited to participate in this research. They were mothers that had recently given birth, or were about to give birth, and they were brought into the Nurturing Families Network. Twenty-seven of the fifty-five received the "standard home visitation program," and thirty were part of an intervention that received both "standard home visitation program and the ECHO intervention (Cloutier, 1).

The ECHO intervention "increases maternal skills" through setting goals and solving programs, and links mothers with training vis-a-vis " ... breastfeeding, solids, juice and sugar-sweetened beverages," best sleep methods for children and how to respond to "infant cues, television/screen time, and maternal diet and physical activity" (Cloutier, 3). The results (based on data from this intervention) presented by the authors include: a) when infants are breastfed "longer and exclusively;" b) when there is a "delayed introduction of solids and juices" for at least 6 months; c) when infants are encouraged to sleep longer; d) when children are supervised as to limited television viewing hours; and e) mothers are linked to community programs, then the development of obesity can be reduced and in time eliminated.

Finances Related to Interventions

The cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial called "High Five for Kids" delved into the costs associated with interventions related to reducing obesity among children between the ages of two and six years. The clinical trial included working to modify "children's nutritional and TV viewing habits" through an intervention that included a "motivational interviewing" program (Wright, et al., 2014). Five intervention groups (including 253 children) were involved in the study, and the intervention was based on the "Chronic Care Model" -- a program in which members of the pediatric care practice team were "actively involved ... to change patient behaviors and improve health outcomes" (Wright, p. 3).

The costs that were assessed included: a) motivational interviewing costs; b) study-related visit costs; c) costs to parents while attending intervention training; and d) the cost of materials and equipment for the intervention (Wright, p. 4). The total cost of this intervention was $65,643 (about $322 per child) (Wright, p. 14).