Childhood obesity: A review of the effectiveness of intervention programs in the prevention of this growing epidemic

Problem: Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic and a global public health concern that needs to be taken seriously. Obese children have a great likelihood of becoming obese adults which then in turn leads to health risks, in particular: type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various breathing disorders. Obesity prevention is not yet at the level of effectiveness that is needed to control this epidemic. Therefore, various interventions programs are being implemented throughout the world, targeting diet and exercise, to address this issue. Methods: A PubMed search using the Cornell Medical College Library was conducted for scholarly clinical articles that reviewed intervention programs created to control, reduce and ultimately in the long-term prevent childhood obesity. Journal articles that were full text and in English were chosen for this review of the literature. Additional articles generated from this search were used for background and supporting information. Results: There were twenty-two articles reviewed that discussed measures to control childhood obesity and nine focused directly on the intervention programs. These nine articles featured various design and intervention models that targeted nutrition and physical activity (PA): in the home, at school and in the community to reduce BMI. These studies concluded that improved diet and increased PA will help to control and reduce weight, with reduction and/or little or no effect on BMI. Conclusion: Within the literature a generalized conclusion can be drawn that programs implemented to control weight using diet and exercise can have a positive effect on reducing obesity. The long-term effectiveness of these childhood interventions in controlling BMI and obesity are still unknown. Further research must he conducted to gain a more consistent evaluation of like programs using the same methods and design to truly understand the long-term efficacy on the reduction of childhood obesity.