UIC researchers receive USDA grant to reduce obesity in preschool children

The preschool years are a critical period for addressing weight-related behaviors among at-risk groups, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Among young children, obesity has tripled since 1980, and the prevalence is highest among black and Hispanic children.

The UIC researchers have received a $950,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to integrate obesity-prevention strategies into programs delivered to low-income families through the University of Illinois Extension Cook County, and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program Education.

Over the past decade, a team led by UIC researcher Marian Fitzgibbon developed an obesity intervention called "Hip-Hop to Health." The program has been used in Head Start and Chicago Public School preschool programs and was found to be effective in reducing body mass index in 3- to 5-year-old minority, low-income children.

"By partnering with existing nutrition programs that are designed to provide information on basic nutrition, food budgeting, shopping skills and food safety to improve the health of low-income families, we will have direct access to a population of children at risk for obesity and related conditions," says Fitzgibbon, who is principal investigator of the study and deputy director of UIC's Institute for Health Research and Policy.

Hip-Hop to Health targets preschool children and their parents and includes programming on physical activity, television viewing, food available in the home, portion sizes, obesity prevention strategies, and contextual factors that can create barriers to healthy eating and physical activity.

Researchers will enroll approximately 180 parent/child pairs who attend the USDA's Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs in Chicago. Study participants will receive Hip-Hop to Health or general nutrition programming during six sessions over six months.

"The goal of the research is to implement an appealing and effective exercise and nutrition program for wide-spread use in clinical, community and school settings that addresses the problem of pediatric obesity," said Fitzgibbon.