After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Describe the prevalence, trends, and consequences of childhood obesity
• Discuss the rationale for and process of applying an ecological approach for planning interventions to promote healthy eating and active living
• List key child and adult behaviors contributing to excessive weight gain in children
• Assess environmental factors contributing to excessive weight gain in children
• Assess and prioritize predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors related to excessive weight gain in children
• Discuss the rationale and approaches for building and facilitating effective collaborations for addressing nutrition issues
• Identify appropriate intervention methods and strategies for addressing priority predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors contributing to excessive weight gain in children
• Develop an action plan for addressing childhood obesity in your community

¹ Olshansky, SJ, Passaro DJ, Hershow RC, et al. A potential decline in life expectancy in the United States in the 21st century. N Engl J Med. 2005; 352:1143.

² Adapted from Green LW, Kreuter MW. Health Program Planning: An Educational and Ecological Approach, 4th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2005