Power-Up: A Collaborative After-School Program to Prevent Obesity in African American Children

What Is the Purpose of the Study?

• • To assess whether a program promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity can be successfully implemented in the after-school setting, and to begin assessing its promise as a means to prevent childhood obesity.

What Is the Problem?

• • Childhood obesity has risen significantly in recent decades, increasing the health risks for youth and young adults.

• • Schools represent a key venue in which to address obesity, but academic pressures limit curricular changes and other activities during school hours.

• • After-school programs are expanding nationwide, and represent a potential opportunity for promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity.

What Are the Findings?

• • The Power-Up After-School program to prevent obesity was successfully integrated into the after-school setting at one Chicago public school using a collaborative, community-based participatory approach.

• • Participating children lowered their degree of obesity on average.

• • Girls decreased their prevalence of overweight/obesity more than boys.

• • The heaviest children remained obese.

Who Should Care Most?

• • School leaders.

• • Public health leaders and community health care providers.

• • Elected officials.

• • Families of schoolchildren.

Recommendations for Action

• • Work to incorporate opportunities for healthy nutrition and physical activity into after-school programs.

• • Children who are already obese may need more intensive treatment.

• • Larger scale studies are needed to better understand the value of this type of program in preventing childhood obesity.