Publication year
2013
Citation Title
Impact of let’s go! 5-2-1-0: A community-based, multisetting childhood obesity prevention program.
Journal Name
Journal of Pediatric Psychology
Journal Volume
38
Issue Number
9
Page Numbers
11-Jan
DOI
10.1093/jpepsy/jst057
Summary
Many programs attempt to increase health-promoting behaviors in families. This study investigated the use of a consistent-messaging campaign (Let's Go! 5-2-1-0), which uses media in several different settings to attempt to influence parent behavior. These messages encourage parents to ensure that their children consume five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, limit recreational screen time to no more than two hours per day, engage in at least one hour of physical activity per day, and limit consumption of sugary drinks. The program seemed to be effective.
Key Findings
When parents were exposed to the consistent messaging through multiple media in multiple settings, their knowledge increased along with certain child health behaviors.
Two of the four targeted behaviors improved across time: children eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day and limiting consumption of sugary drinks to no more than one per day.
The other two targeted behaviors did not change over time: children getting at least an hour of physical activity per day and limiting recreational screen time to less than two hours per day.
Implications for Military Professionals
Work with families to help them determine specific changes to current behavior that may have a significant impact on child and family health and well-being
Support parents who are working to make changes in their family’s habits and behaviors
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop consistent messages to increase the health and well-being of military families and convey those messages through a variety of media
Encourage military families to focus on increasing specific health-promoting behaviors
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend training for professionals who work with military families regarding the impact consistent messaging can have on the health and well-being of families
Continue to support the development of programs that aim to increase health-promoting behaviors in military families
Methods
Participants were randomly selected from communities in the greater Portland, Maine area in which the program was running at three time points: before, during, and after the program.
Structured telephone interviews with questions regarding program exposure, parent knowledge, and child health behaviors were conducted with each participant.
Data were analyzed to determine whether parent knowledge and child health behaviors changed throughout the course of the program.
Participants
Participants were 2,400 parents of children under 18 years who lived with them at least seven months of the year.
The sample was 67% female, 50% under 45 years old, 44% college graduates and 37% household incomes of less than $50,000 per year. No other demographic information was provided.
Children of the participants had a mean age of 11.3 years old (SD = 4.7).
Limitations
There was no comparison group of parents who did not receive the messages from the program, so it is unclear whether the changes are actually due to program implementation.
Individuals may have responded in what they hoped was a more socially-acceptable way during telephone interviews, which may have influenced results.
The people who were willing to participate in a phone interview may differ from those who were not in important ways that may affect findings.
Avenues for Future Research
Investigate the use of consistent messaging campaigns for military families
Use a comparison group that does not receive the messaging to examine whether changes are related to exposure to the messaging
Explore reasons why child physical activity and recreational screen time were less amenable to change in this sample
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Document the impact of Let's Go!, a multisetting community-based childhood obesity prevention program on participants in 12 communities in Maine. METHODS: The study used repeated random telephone surveys with 800 parents of children to measure awareness of messages and child behaviors. Surveys were conducted in schools, child care programs, and afterschool programs to track changes in policies and environments. RESULTS: Findings show improvements from 2007 to 2011: Children consuming fruits and vegetables increased from 18%, 95% CI [15, 21], to 26% [23, 30] (p < .001); children limiting sugary drinks increased from 63% [59, 67] to 69% [65, 73] (p = .011); and parent awareness of the program grew from 10% [7, 12] to 47% [43, 51] (p < .001). Participating sites implemented widespread changes to promote healthy behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: A multisetting, community-based intervention with a consistent message can positively impact behaviors that lead to childhood obesity.
Document the impact of Let's Go!, a multisetting community-based childhood obesity prevention program on participants in 12 communities in Maine. METHODS: The study used repeated random telephone surveys with 800 parents of children to measure awareness of messages and child behaviors. Surveys were conducted in schools, child care programs, and afterschool programs to track changes in policies and environments. RESULTS: Findings show improvements from 2007 to 2011: Children consuming fruits and vegetables increased from 18%, 95% CI [15, 21], to 26% [23, 30] (p < .001); children limiting sugary drinks increased from 63% [59, 67] to 69% [65, 73] (p = .011); and parent awareness of the program grew from 10% [7, 12] to 47% [43, 51] (p < .001). Participating sites implemented widespread changes to promote healthy behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: A multisetting, community-based intervention with a consistent message can positively impact behaviors that lead to childhood obesity.
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