Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to identify the significance of obesity prevention in preschool children

Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to identify effective methods for increasing healthy eating and physical activity in preschool children.

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Prevention of obesity needs to begin at an early age, not waiting until children are overweight (Berkowitz, 2005). Dietary practices of children are directly affected by the parents and the family environment (Birch & Fisher, 1998) and early childhood is a period when mothers have some control over their children's activities and dietary intake (Baughman, 2000, Tanasescu, et al., 2000). Therefore, any preschool obesity prevention program needs to incorporate both the child and the parent into the process. The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a multidisciplinary obesity prevention program in the community with mothers of young children focusing on good nutrition and increased activity for young children. The specific aims for this project are: (a) Increase daily intake of fruits and vegetables; (b) Incorporation of play into their daily activities; (c) Assist mothers to learn accurate serving sizes for young children, and (d) Decrease time spent in sedentary activities. The program was developed in four phases, with each phase building on the previous phase. The first phase of the program focused on the development of community connections including play experiences with children and staff members. Phase 2 entailed providing structured nutritional and physical activity programs for young children and their parents. The third phase will involve the piloting of activities for the program. The final phase of the process will be the implementation and evaluation of a 6 week obesity prevention program for young children and their parents.