Child Health Ecological Surveillance System (CHESS) for childhood obesity: a feasibility study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of employing an ecologically guided childhood obesity relevant surveillance system.


METHODS
Cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 31 organizational representatives across 28 unique organizations and/or departments from three purposively sampled communities in the Capital Health Region in Alberta, Canada.


RESULTS
All the organizational representatives surveyed reported awareness of childhood obesity and 36% reported participation in child obesity initiatives. Data to support a surveillance system are available but not in a suitable format, and privacy legislation present significant barriers. Interest in developing and sustaining an ecologically based surveillance system was low (18%).


CONCLUSIONS
Due to the heterogeneity of available data and limited vision for the development and implementation of a surveillance system, the application of an ecologically based surveillance system relevant to childhood obesity may be constrained. Broad-based awareness of childhood obesity by a wide range of organizations could assist in establishing an effective coalition to address this issue over the long term by supporting the establishment of a surveillance system.
Plotnikoff
R C
RC
School of Education, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. ron.plotnikoff@newcastle.edu.au
Lightfoot
P
P
McFall
S
S
Spinola
C
C
Johnson
S T
ST
Prodaniuk
T
T
Predy
G
G
Tremblay
M S
MS
Svenson
L
L
D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004463:Ecology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution