Niños Sanos, Familia Sana - 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. (Haworth, Plomin et al. 2008; Sinha
and Kling 2009). 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 (Dobbins, De Corby et al. 2009). 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.