Rate of obesity among America's children has nearly quadrupled over the past four decades (from 4% in 1960 to over 15% in 2000).
Obesity is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.
Obesity is estimated to be responsible for approximately 6% of health care costs.
The Challenge
Causes of obesity include a wide range of factors associated with the individual, the family, education, societal changes, occupational trends, business, media, marketing, and public policy.
Stakeholders should consider multiple contexts (e.g., home, school, and community) when addressing obesity.
Ultimately, decreasing obesity rates requires a comprehensive approach.
The Potential
PPSI has experience in forming partnerships with numerous stakeholders at various levels of public education and government.
PPSI is developing the PROSPER Partnership Replications Network (PPRN) – a partnership approach that could be tailored to the development and evaluation of obesity preventive interventions.
PPRN will maximize use of existing infrastructures, including public education, the Land Grant University Extension system, and public health care system; it also will…
- Build community teams that implement focused and evidence-based obesity prevention strategies for optimum benefit;
- Facilitate the testing and development of evidence-based interventions;
- Tailor prevention efforts to individual communities;
- Build communities' capacity to implement and sustain obesity prevention efforts; and
- Apply a "value added" approach, with obesity prevention strategies economically disseminated through routine interactions with the health care system, educators, social clubs, and organizations (e.g., 4-H).
Formative research studies guiding the adaptation of the partnership model will be underway in Fall, 2006
