A childhood obesity prevention program in the San Fernando area of California

Childhood obesity is a primary health concern and increasing epidemic in the United States. Childhood obesity prevention programs are currently one of the approaches that are being used to work against the rise of this extensive health concern. This project explores the nutrition education curriculum that was created for the childhood obesity prevention program 5-4-3-2-1-0 Steps to Healthy Families at Facey Medical Foundation in Mission Hills, California for overweight and obese children aged seven to eleven and their families. The curriculum was designed to be presented once a week over the course of four 3-hour sessions addressing the following nutrition topics: MyPlate and portion sizes, healthy beverage choices, disease associated with overweight and obesity, physical activity for the whole family, healthy snack preparation, and intuitive eating and the psychological aspect of childhood obesity. The team for the 5-4-3-2-1-0 Steps to Healthy Families childhood obesity prevention program consists of a Registered Dietitian, and psychologist specializing in pediatrics. The Registered Dietitian is responsible for all of the nutrition education, physical activities, and healthy snack preparation and demonstrations, while the psychologist focuses on intuitive eating and the psychological, social, and emotional aspects of dealing with childhood obesity. This nutrition education program was developed to be used in the San Fernando Valley area to help lower the childhood obesity rates in the community of Mission Hills, California. Qualitative observations could be made during implementation of the program, which could lead to modifications and improvements to the curriculum; further research is suggested to collect, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum in changing knowledge and behavior of participants.