This study aims to translate a promising community-based systems approach to childhood overweight and obesity prevention previously trialled in rural communities in Victoria and ACT, to evaluate its effectiveness in improving the child obesity environments and behaviours in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse urban community in south west Sydney.
This project will assess the effectiveness of the approach in changing food and physical activity environments, dietary and physical activity behaviours, and body mass index in children aged 5 to 12 years in this community.
This study will address these research questions:
1. How effective is a community-based approach to childhood overweight and obesity prevention in changing children’s dietary and physical activity habits?
2. To what extent does the approach result in changes in local food and physical activity environments?
3. In the longer term, how effective is the approach in decreasing body mass and the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in these children?
Collaborators: NSW Office of Preventive Health, Hunter New England Local Health District