Implementation of an after-school obesity prevention program: helping young children toward improved health

Abstract

Obesity prevention programs that are delivered in after-school programs are needed as a focus on curriculum can make it difficult to include this health programming during the school day. The current study examined the implementation of 2 pilot programs in different after-school programs for young children. There were 36 children in the intervention groups and 18 children in comparison groups. Children learned about healthy eating and increasing involvement in physical activity. Lessons were based on the Traffic Light Diet. Results indicated improvement in children’s reports of their eating habits. Activity levels improved in 1 school, but not in the other. Parents and children were satisfied with the program and children demonstrated good knowledge of the interventions to promote healthy eating. Future studies should include larger sample sizes and evaluation of the effectiveness of different components of the intervention. Nurses can play a key role in disseminating information and designing and leading after-school programs to improve child knowledge about healthy eating and exercise. Nursing students may also benefit from assisting with conducting these types of programs to improve their experience in health prevention programming.