Community Rallies to Fight Obesity in Cleveland’s Urban Youth

Cleveland’s childhood overweight and obesity rate is approximately 40 percent and show no sign of plateauing. A team of local researchers has set out to tackle the problem using a comprehensive and pioneering approach, which includes child and family behavioral interventions and partnerships with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and the YMCA of Greater Cleveland (YMCA). The $12.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded program will be led by Case Western Reserve University with clinical expertise provided by University Hospitals (UH) Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. It is one of only four programs selected across the country to participate in the NIH’s national Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) initiative. As multiple factors contribute to childhood obesity, the Case Western Reserve program will assess the effectiveness of a multi-factorial approach using three behavioral interventions within children’s school and community environments to treat obesity and reduce rates of elevated blood pressure.

“Obesity is often associated with high blood pressure. Both obesity and high blood pressure can lead to complications, and may even cause premature death. Cleveland’s youth have substantial needs as they battle against obesity. This program uses a unique approach to provide children and families the tools they need to promote healthy choices and reduce obesity – all involving their homes, schools, and communities,” says Leona Cuttler, MD, William T. Dahms Professor of Pediatrics and professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine; chief of pediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, and director of the Center for Child Health and Policy at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Dr. Cuttler is one of three principal investigators for the study. “This project incorporates several innovations and can establish a replicable system of aligned programs that have major impact on pediatric obesity. The program has the potential to alter both policy and practice.”

The goals of the seven-year project are to reduce obesity and high blood pressure by increasing physical activity, along with healthy eating, sleep, and stress management. Four hundred and fifty overweight and obese students from 50 CMSD schools will participate in the study. The students will be recruited through a screening program established through an existing partnership between CMSD and Case Western Reserve Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Each student will be randomized into one of three groups that offer different behavioral interventions focusing on the child and his/her family: 1.) HealthyCHANGE – a behavioral approach focusing on building skills and increasing intrinsic motivation; 2.) SystemCHANGE – a behavioral approach focusing on redesign of the family environment and daily routines; 3.) Customary Care – a traditional approach, focused primarily on providing educational materials, using those methods currently practiced in intervention programs.