A pebble in the pond: the ripple effect of an obesity prevention intervention targeting the child care environment.
Through Steps to a Healthier Arizona, a unique partnership was developed to reach the culturally diverse, rural communities of Southern Arizona. This partnership included local, regional, and state agencies and coalitions focused on reducing the burden of chronic disease and health disparities. This article describes the success of a program aimed at preventing childhood obesity and diabetes. Partners in Yuma County worked with child care providers to implement organizational best practices which promote positive nutrition and physical activity behaviors in young children. As a result of this project, the number of child care centers in Yuma County implementing best practices increased. Additionally a ripple effect has reached beyond the individual child care setting, into broader local and state early childhood development systems. Taking place against the backdrop of state-wide initiatives in early childhood development and health, the Steps to a Healthier Arizona's NAP SACC program positioned stakeholders to integrate with these advances.
Drummond
Rebecca L
RL
University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA. drummond@email.arizona.edu
Staten
Lisa K
LK
Sanford
Mary Reyes
MR
Davidson
Christopher L
CL
Magda Ciocazan
Maria
M
Khor
Kai-Ning
KN
Kaplan
Frances
F
D001130:Arizona / Q000453:epidemiology; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000517:prevention & control; D005522:Food Services; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011203:Poverty