Learning Objective #1: Identify three factors placing preschool children at risk for overweight/obesity

Learning Objective #2: Identify three evidence-based components that have been found to be essential components of successful prevention intervention overweight/obesity programs

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The incidence of overweight and obesity has increased at a staggering rate in recent years. A report from The Institute of Medicine revealed a doubling of the rates of obesity in the preschool child population recently and indicated 3-5 year olds whose BMI>85% have a >40% chance of later life obesity. Factors that place young children ‘at risk' for obesity/overweight include early adiposity rebound; increased BMI% at adiposity rebound; socioeconomic class; ethnicity; and parental overweight/obesity. Many treatment and prevention intervention studies have been conducted with adults and schoolage children with varying success. However, there is limited evidence-based information available regarding intervention strategies that have been trialed with preschool children who are overweight/obese or at ‘risk' for overweight/obesity. This pilot study was developed to test the effects of a comprehensive, theoretically-based intervention on the physical and mental health outcomes of pre-school children who are overweight/obese or ‘at risk' and their parent. The overall goal of the COPE/Healthy Children intervention program was to reduce the risk for negative health outcomes in pre-school children who are overweight/obese or ‘at risk' for obesity and its adverse co-morbidities. In addition to emphasizing weight control by educational information (i.e., healthy nutrition and activity) and behavioral skills training, this program included a strong mental health/positive parenting component. A review of preliminary baseline data suggests that knowledge scores of these parents were fairly high as was their desire to promote healthy lifestyle decisions with their young children; although, many parents reported that they were unable to enact the behaviors necessary to encourage their child's healthy decision-making abilities. The experimental parent/child groups demonstrated changed parent/child behavior scores following the intervention compared with those in the comparison group. This pilot study is one example of a nurse lead, age-appropriate, theoretically-based intervention designed to impact the difficult childhood overweight/obesity epidemic.