Addressing Health Disparities in Childhood Obesity, One Summer at a Time

Overview

Almost 50% of Native American and Hispanic children are overweight or obese by the 5th grade. Research has demonstrated that the 'obesity gap' facing minority students is largely due to summer weight gain. However, very few summer programs have been tested among these populations. To encourage summer physical activity, the CDC developed a program that partners with local businesses to provide children with a 'scorecard' of subsidized or free local activities. The program has not been tested among Hispanic or Native American children. This study aims to test the impact of the scorecard program on Body Mass Index percentile, physical activity, sedentary behavior, barriers to physical activity and self-efficacy.

Over 50% of Native American children are overweight or obese by 5th grade, with similar rates found among Hispanics. Native American children have been estimated to have 9 times the diabetes rates of non-Hispanic Whites, suggesting an impending public health crisis without action. Recent research has demonstrated that the 'obesity gap' facing minority students is largely due to summer weight gain, with rapid increases ages 7-11. However, statewide in Arizona, only 22% of children participate in summer activities, despite 65% of parents expressing interest. Thus, we know which populations are at highest risk, at what developmental age changes occur most rapidly and that interventions are most needed in the summer, but that this need is not being met. A modest amount of research has evaluated summer programming, but almost none among Native Americans/Hispanics. In 2004, the CDC developed a 'Summer Scorecard' intervention, a partnership with local businesses to provide children with a 'scorecard' of subsidized or free local activities. The Summer Scorecard program has not been tested among Hispanic and Native American children. Therefore, the current study propose to assess the effectiveness of the VSS among children ages 7-11 in the 4 highest risk elementary schools in the study area utilizing a randomized design. Two schools will participate in the first summer, and the remaining two children will participate in the second summer. Primary outcomes include objectively measured participation, body composition (BMI percentile), physical activity, sedentary behavior, reported barriers to physical activity and self-efficacy using survey instruments previously developed and tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is hypothesized that children participating in the summer program will increase their physical activity, self-efficacy, reduce their reported barriers to physical activity. In addition, it is hypothesized that they will show reduction in BMI percentile score compared to averages in their school and the school district.