Reversing the rise in childhood obesity, St Lucia / Grenada

Objectives

To reduce obesogenic environments and empower communities, parents and children to embrace healthy eating and active living – making informed decisions based on accurate information on food, nutrition and exercise.
To provide the children and their families affected by overweight/obesity with evidence-based weight management services and safeguard these children from bias and stigmatisation.
To strengthen government systems and support multi-sectoral responsive action to the childhood obesity epidemic.
To provide core data and information to track the movement and determinants of the childhood obesity epidemic which is driving up rates of diabetes.

Approach

Establish a steering group in both countries through multi-sectoral workshops, coordinated by a local CARPHA project officer to be based in each country.

Prepare intervention (6-month trajectory) through comprehensive data collection (baseline study of schools and communities and environmental factors concerning diet/physical activity, etc.), through mobilisation and sensitisation of stakeholders, incl. ‘focus group discussions’ with parents/children/teachers etc., and, through design of specific activities to be rolled out.


Roll out intervention in both countries (24-month trajectory) incl.:

Review school curricula on nutrition and physical activity and implementation of new tuition models;
build ‘supportive environments’ at school settings incl. through interaction with food vendors;
extend efforts towards homes and communities through parent-targeted workshops and dialogues.
Monitor impact through baseline/end line data on children’s BMI, blood pressure and fitness as well as through assessment of change in knowledge and behaviour during the project stages.
Evaluate pilot model through detailed analysis and reporting of entire approach and its outcomes aiming at wider dissemination across the Caribbean; CARPHA M&E capacity to apply.

Results at completion

85 stakeholder representatives mobilised and sensitised through workshops and other capacity building.
16 focus groups (8 per country) established and operational.
Coordination/implementation teams trained in each country consisting of 42 teachers, 8 sports specialists, 10 nurses and 10 data collectors.
988 school children aged 6 to 12 years enrolled in and reached through the intervention, representing 4 schools in each country.