Incorporating Primary and Secondary Prevention Approaches To Address Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment in a Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Population: Study Design and Demographic Data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) Study

Authors

Deanna M. Hoelscher, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Nancy F. Butte, Baylor College of Medicine
Sarah Barlow, Baylor College of Medicine
Elizabeth A. Vandewater, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Shreela V. Sharma, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Terry Huang, Baylor College of Medicine
Eric Finkelstein, Duke University
Stephen Pont, University of Texas Southwestern–Austin
Paul Sacher, University College
Courtney Byrd-Williams, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Abiodun O. Oluyomi, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Casey Durand, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Linlin Li, The University of Texas School of Public Health
Steven H. Kelder, The University of Texas School of Public Health

Date of this Version

2015

Citation

Childhood Obesity February 2015, Volume 11, Number 1

Comments

U.S. Government Work

Abstract

Background: There is consensus that development and evaluation of a systems-oriented approach for child obesity prevention and treatment that includes both primary and secondary prevention efforts is needed. This article describes the study design and baseline data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) project, which addresses child obesity among low-income, ethnically diverse overweight and obese children, ages 2–12 years; a two-tiered systems-oriented approach is hypothesized to reduce BMI z-scores, compared to primary prevention alone.

Methods: Our study aims are to: (1) implement and evaluate a primary obesity prevention program; (2) implement and evaluate efficacy of a 12-month family-centered secondary obesity prevention program embedded within primary prevention; and (3) quantify the incremental cost-effectiveness of the secondary prevention program. Baseline demographic and behavioral data for the primary prevention community areas are presented.

Results: Baseline data from preschool centers, elementary schools, and clinics indicate that most demographic variables are similar between intervention and comparison communities. Most families are low income ( < $25,000) and Hispanic/Latino (73.3– 83.8%). The majority of parents were born outside of the United States. Child obesity rates exceed national values, ranging from 19.0% in preschool to 35.2% in fifth-grade children. Most parents report that their children consume sugary beverages, have a television in the bedroom, and do not consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Conclusions: Interventions to address childhood obesity are warranted in low-income, ethnically diverse communities. Integrating primary and secondary approaches is anticipated to provide sufficient exposure that will lead to significant decreases in childhood obesity.