CAN DO Houston: a community-based approach to preventing childhood obesity.

Background: Comprehensive, community-based efforts may reduce rates of childhood obesity.

Community Context: Almost half of the children in Houston are overweight or obese, even though Houston has many available resources that support good nutrition, physical activity, and prevention of weight gain among children.

Methods: We used existing resources to implement a community-based, childhood obesity prevention initiative in 2 low-income neighborhoods in Houston.

The Fun Families Study: intervention to reduce children's TV viewing.

Media consumption may contribute to childhood obesity. This study developed and evaluated a theory-based, parent-focused intervention to reduce television and other media consumption to prevent and reduce childhood obesity. Families (n = 202) with children ages 6-9 were recruited from a large, urban multiethnic population into a randomized controlled trial (101 families into the intervention group and 101 into the control group), and were followed for 6 months.

A multimedia educational program that increases science achievement among inner-city non-Asian minority middle-school students.

Purpose: To test the effectiveness of a middle school, multimedia health sciences educational program called HEADS UP in non-Asian-minority (Hispanic and African American), inner-city students. The program designers hope to increase the number of these students entering the health sciences pipeline. The program includes video role-model stories featuring minority scientists and students, hands-on activities, and teacher resources.

Coordinated school health programs and academic achievement: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Few evaluations of school health programs measure academic outcomes. K-12 education needs evidence for academic achievement to implement school programs. This article presents a systematic review of the literature to examine evidence that school health programs aligned with the Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) model improve academic success.

Self-reported barriers to quality physical education by physical education specialists in Texas.

School-based programs offer an efficient means of promoting the health of a large number of children. The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program was designed to decrease risk factors for chronic disease in elementary school children and includes separate coordinated interventions for child nutrition services, physical education (PE), classroom instruction, and family education. Physical education specialists who attended CATCH training during school years 2000-2003 were surveyed about CATCH PE at their respective schools.