The 4:3:2:1 Healthy Kids Project
A Pilot Intervention to Reduce Childhood Obesity in
Elementary School Students
Abstract

Four Midwestern school districts formed a community coalition to address increased rates of childhood obesity. Students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade participated in a study testing a two-part intervention to reduce childhood obesity. Students at one school received an after-school education program only, another school received a communication campaign only, and a third school received both the education program and communication campaign. A fourth school served as a control, receiving neither intervention. Children in all four conditions filled out assessments before and after the 10-week intervention. Based on the Stages of Change model, dependent variables included current habits and future likelihood to engage in four healthy target behaviors related to nutrition and exercise. Results showed no differences between the four schools with regard to their fruit and vegetable intake, dairy consumption, or increased physical activity. The two schools that received the communication intervention progressed in their intentions to reduce the number of hours they spent in front of "square screens" such as televisions and computers to fewer than 2 hours per day, whereas the other two schools did not progress positively in regard to this goal. The strengths and limitations of this school-based intervention are described in this case study, highlighting the importance of engaging a community coalition and the limitations of collecting cross-sectional pilot data in public elementary schools.