Thursday, March 15, 2012
Poster Area 2 (Foyer Outside Exhibit Hall C) (Convention Center)
Background: Many children spend a majority of their waking hours in daycare or preschool facilities. Enhancing preschoolers' health and well-being is the foundation to improving the health of society as individuals begin to develop their eating and exercise habits at a very young age. The purpose of this study was to analyze both the implementation and outcome of an obesity prevention program within a preschool setting. The effectiveness of the eight-month health and fitness-based intervention program on preschool children's Body Mass Index (BMI) and reported preference for healthy foods was examined. Methods: Twenty children that were three to four years of age were included in the experimental group. A quasi-experimental design was employed, and BMI measurements were taken from both the experimental and control groups at baseline and program completion. Results: An independent samples t test comparing the mean BMI scores of the experimental and control groups found a significant difference between the two groups (p<.05). Yet, there was no statistically significant difference in children's reported preference for healthy foods. Conclusions: Engaging children in the 60 minutes of structured physical activity as recommended by NASPE per day has a positive impact on their BMI and overall health. Specific populations have been identified as at-risk for overweight and obesity, including children of minorities, English Language Learners, and children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, concentrated efforts should be given to obesity prevention programs within preschools where there is a high incidence of poverty.