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Obesity Prevention Efforts

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To address overweight and obesity in the United States, agencies nationwide continue to launch various programs at national, state, county, and local levels. Although an abundance of strategies exist to address this health issue, what follows are a few notable prevention efforts that have served to make an impact to communities in need    nationwide.    

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The Special Supplemental Program For Women, Infants And Children (WIC)

  • WIC provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to the age of five who are found to be nutritionally at risk.   1
  • Among children aged 2-4 enrolled in WIC:     
    • 13.9% had obesity in 2016, compared to 15.5% in 2010. Obesity had previously been on the rise among this group from 2000-10. 1
    • Overweight and obesity prevalence decreased from 32.5% in 2010 to 29.1% in 2016. 1   
  • Notable Efforts to Address Obesity Amongst Children and Women:
    • Multiple studies have found that WIC is effective in providing breastfeeding support to women which has been linked to decreased likelihood of obesity amongst children later in life. 2   
    • Nutrition education is a core service provided by WIC that has been found to increase likelihood of healthy food consumption and obesity rate reduction. 2   
    • Upon extensive revisions of foods issued by WIC known as “WIC Food Packages”, research found an increase in the availability of quality, affordable and varied healthy food options in retailers. 2
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California Dairy Council

  • Since 1919, the California Dairy Council has provided nutrition education and free resources for schools, health professionals and community clinics. 3 The goal of the program is to improve the health of children and families through lifelong healthy eating habits. 3    
  • The program has resulted in increased knowledge about food groups, conversations about food among families, and parent reports of improved food choices. 3      
  • CA Dairy Council’s Efforts to Elevate Children Health in 2017-2018:   4
    • 1,892,063 students have been educated through nutrition programs and Mobile Dairy Classroom assemblies. 4   
    • 35 school districts have been advised on Smarter Lunchrooms Movement practices. 4   
    • 2,263,059 parents and adults have been educated through nutrition programs. 4   
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National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

  • The NSLP has provided nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to children each school day since 1946. 5      Opens in new window
  • It is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). All NSLP lunches must meet Federal requirements, though preparation and specific foods are chosen by local school food authorities. 5    
  • 30.4 million children participated in the NSLP in 2016. 5   
  • A study conducted on NSLP’s impact on obesity reduction in 2012 found:
    • The program has helped reduce the rate of poor health by 29%. 6   
    • As a result of program implementation, the rate of obesity amongst participants has dropped by at least 17%. 6   
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Choosemyplate

  • MyPlate is a tool developed by the USDA to help children and families build a healthier lifestyle to avoid excess weight gain and reduce risk for chronic disease.   7
    • MyPlate was “unveiled with the hope that this approach would simplify communication about the 2010 dietary guidelines and MyPyramid so children and families may make better and more balanced food choices.” 7

Choosemyplate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Map of childhood obesity decreasing in many states

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Progress on Childhood Obesity

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Nutrition Facts Label Changes

  • The U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) released new guidelines for packaged goods to reflect updated scientific information that includes the link between diet and chronic diseases. The updated rules will allow consumers to make well informed decisions about their food that will contribute to lifelong healthy eating habits. 8   
  • The image   displays a side by side comparison between the original and updated nutrition facts label:

Nutrition

Figure 2: Changes to new nutrition label compared to original label.

Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration: The New Nutrition Facts Label

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Diabetes Prevention Program

  • The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a partnership amongst private and public organizations who work together to prevent or delay Type II Diabetes acquisition. 9
  • This year-long program is led by trained lifestyle coaches and sessions cover healthy eating, stress reduction and increasing physical activity. 9   
  • Participants who lost 5-7% of their body weight and added 150 minutes of exercise per week cut their risk of type II diabetes in half. 9
  • A 2017 descriptive analysis examined the efficacy of DPP and found that amongst participants:
    • 35.5% achieved the programs 5% weight loss goal.   10
    • 41.8% met the physical activity goal of 150 minutes weekly. 10
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References

  1. Obesity Among WIC Enrolled Young Children. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-among-WIC-enrolled-young-children.html. Updated November 22, 2019. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  2. Koleilat, M, Whaley, SE, Esguerra, KB. Sekhobo, JP. The Role of WIC in Obesity Prevention.  Current Pediatrics Reports.  2017;5(3), 132-141. doi: 10.1007/s40124-017-0135-6. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  3. About Dairy Council of California. healthyeating.org. https://www.healthyeating.org/our-cause/about-us.  Published 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  4. Annual Report 2018. healthyeating.org. https://www.healthyeating.org/docs/default-source/3.0-our-cause/annual-reports/dcc_annual_report_2018.pdf?sfvrsn=4f2e8a6f_4. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  5. National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Fact Sheet. fns.usda.gov. https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/nslp-fact-sheet. Updated March 20, 2019. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  6. Gundersen, C, Kreider, B, Pepper, J. The Impact of the National School Lunch Program on child health A nonparametric bounds analysis.  Journal of Econometrics.  2012;166(1), 79-91.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2011.06.007. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  7. D’Auria, JP. Weighing In: Prevention of Childhood Overweight and Obesity.  Journal of Pediatric Health Case.  2011;25(6), e26-e30. https://www.jpedhc.org/article/S0891-5245(11)00276-8/abstract. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  8. What’s New with the Nutrition Facts Label. fda.gov. https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/whats-new-nutrition-facts-label. Updated March 11, 2020. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  9. About the National DPP. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/about.htm. Updated November 15, 2018. Accessed September 20, 2020.
  10. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP): Description of lifestyle intervention.  Diabetes Care.  2002;25(12), 2165-2171. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.25.12.2165. Accessed September 20, 2020.
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