In 2012 Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy took on a monumental task. They wanted to study a disease that was reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. This disease affects children in all age groups and crosses economic, social, racial and ethnic lines.  The epidemic? Childhood obesity.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the almost $7 million project, that led to the development of ChildObesity180, an effort to reverse the pernicious trend. According to the website since 1980, “rates of obesity have doubled in 2-5 year olds, quadrupled in 6-11 year olds, and tripled in 12-19 year olds. While recent reports show encouraging signs that obesity rates are stabilizing, and even beginning to decline in certain populations in the U.S., rates remain unacceptably high in all age groups.”

Making this situation more complex is the fact that many reasons seem to account for childhood obesity and they are complicated and interconnected. Culture, the norms of a society, community resources, and home environment all affect children’s weight. In order to tackle this multi-faceted problem ChildObesity180 (CO180) took a multi-faceted approach.

Fighting Childhood Obesity

CO180 asked three communities in Massachusetts to participate in a three-year study. Two communities served as the control group, so no intervention occurred in those towns. The town of Somerville was selected as the test case. CO180 worked with community leaders on all fronts to bring about healthier lifestyles through the “Shape Up Somerville” program. CO180 tried to communicate with every community area that could affect a change to obesity rates—they talked to families, they worked with school system cafeterias to plan healthier meals, they dialogued with local restaurant owners and chefs to offer healthier choices, and offered programs to increase children’s activity level before, during and after school. CO180 met with healthcare providers, educators, and community leaders in order to approach healthier food choices and increased activity from many perspectives. And it worked. The results after the 3-year study showed that the intervention had reduced one pound of weight gain over eight months in the community’s children. These results, especially viewed in the context of a whole community were impressive.

While some think maintaining a healthy weight can be broken down to a simple equation, (increase activity, decrease unhealthy food) it is rarely easy without support and long-term changes to lifestyle. This study shows the necessity of having community support in creating change.

This is what I hope 2016 will bring for our Wellness Balance community. An increased awareness of health, and increased support to bring about this global change.

Please join us at Wellness Balance, in person and online, as we all make changes to be healthier together.  As always, I’m here for the support of your good health.

About the author

Kimberly Distilli

Kimberly Distilli, R.N. and founder of Wellness Balance, has spent almost three decades in the medical field. Kimberly devoted her life to taking care of others but it wasn’t until she became seriously ill with breast cancer that she discovered the impact of alternative, non-invasive therapies such as cold laser therapy, alkaline water, cellular cleansing and neurotoxin release.