In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten children is obese.1
In response to this startling statistic, with program support from the New York City Council, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) has partnered with CHCANYS to develop a New York City Childhood Obesity Prevention and Management Consortium in 2007-2008. The goal of the Consortium is to address the high rates of obesity in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) serving the underserved areas of New York City. CHCANYS has collaborated with Urban Health Plan, Inc. (UHP) and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) to provide the evidence based technical support and tools necessary for New York City health center sites to design and implement a comprehensive care model for childhood obesity prevention and management.
In 2008-2009 CHCANYS invited community health centers with school based health sites to participate and were charged to identify a Parent Ambassador – a voice of the community. Building on its past successes, in its third year, CHCANYS has spread the project into other health centers, school-based health centers, and satellite sites of network organizations. This addition to the initiative allows the messages and the practices to be standardized among health centers citywide.
Successes
Within the last two project years, the Consortium activities have resulted in significant successes, including the following:
Establishing obesity prevention as a priority in pediatric care;
In 2008‐2009 CHCANYS reached approximately 24,000 children, 12 times more than the original goal of 2,000 children;
Collection of BMI is now an established practice for well child visits in participating school‐based sites where providers are now able to classify their patients according to the appropriate weight category – underweight, healthy, overweight, obese;
Accurate classification allowed the providers to choose appropriate interventions for their overweight/obese population;
The program continues to touch community health centers and school health based sites in four of the five NYC boroughs; and
Using evidence‐based technical support and tools needed for the sites to design, implement, and sustain a comprehensive care model for childhood obesity prevention and management.
Community Health Centers that have participated in the CHCANYS Childhood Obesity Prevention Program
For more information, contact CHCANYS’ Quality Initiatives team at (212) 279-9686.
5-2-1-0 Campaign
CHCANYS adapted the 5-2-1-0 message from the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative in an effort to create a fun yet easy to understand message about healthy eating and physical activity for the initiative’s target population in the New York City area.
5-2-1-0 Stands for:
5: Eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables everyday
2: Cut daily screen time to 2 hours or less
1: Participate in at least 1 hour of moderate physical activity everyday
0: Restrict soda, sugar sweetened sports and fruit drinks
Posters and Brochures:
CHCANYS 5-2-1-0 Campaign posters and corresponding brochures are available for purchase in English, Spanish and Chinese.
Brochure 8 ½ x 14, double parallel folded to 8 ½ x 3 ½
For more information about ordering 5-2-1-0 materials, email rherreros@chcanys.org or call 212-710-3808.
CHCANYS received funding from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to fight childhood obesity by training eight New York City-based community health centers. For more information on this project, call CHCANYS at 212-279-9686.
CHCANYS Presents on Initiative Progress
CHCANYS had the honor of presenting at the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) 2010 Annual Forum in Atlanta, GA. During the Forum’s poster session presentation, representatives from CHCANYS Quality Initiative’s team and Urban Health Plan, Inc. shared initiative progress and results accounting for the first two years of the New York City Childhood Obesity Initiative.
To view the poster that was presented, click: here
