Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children/Healthy Family): A Multi-Intervention Program to Prevent Childhood Obesity in Mexican-Heritage Children in Rural California

Obesity and overweight are health problems resulting from the interaction of predisposing genes with environmental, economic and social stimuli, in conjunction with excess caloric intake throughout growth from childhood to adulthood. Evidence suggests that a major barrier in controlling overweight/obesity is the complex interrelation of these factors, making single-approach interventions less likely to succeed than integrated, multi-faceted approaches. The proposed project aims to deliver a multi-faceted behavioral intervention developed over the past 18 months by a university-community /school-based collaborative. This project aims to provide new knowledge about the effectiveness of interventions designed specifically to achieve successful weight management among Mexican-origin children ages 3-8, and identify associated mediating factors. Deliverables will include community-based, collaborative and sustainable tools to support weight-management goals in this demographic. UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) faculty form the investigator team, collaborating on key decision points with the project community in California's Central Valley. The investigators hypothesize that the identified mediating factors will increase fruit and vegetable consumption. The investigators also hypothesize an increase in the intensity and frequency of physical activity among children in the intervention group.