A School Wellness Partnership to Address Childhood Obesity.

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a complex public health issue that requires community and environmental factors be addressed. Efforts to combat childhood obesity must be multifaceted and include community-based partnerships. The objective of this paper is to describe a partnership between a county health department and a local school district to address childhood obesity. As part of a formal School Wellness Partnership, a nutrition and physical activity program was designed to meet the needs of a school community. The program included parent and teacher education, school-wide messaging and take-home activities. The partnership generated positive program outcomes, including increased teacher knowledge and confidence and parental knowledge regarding healthy childhood behaviors. Lessons learned included the importance of resource sharing and building a stronger program with mutual partner benefits. Community partnerships can lead to expanding health outreach and building community capacity to promote health through collaborative program development efforts.