TY - JOUR TI - A childhood obesity prevention project: implementation of the KidsFit Obesity Prevention Program among school-aged scouts to increase knowledge and behaviors related to nutrition and exercise: Cub Scouts DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-0fza-ah35 PY - 2020 AB - Purpose of Project: Effective childhood obesity prevention interventions that can be used in various community settings are needed to address the increasing prevalence of obesity among school-aged children. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the KidsFit obesity prevention program among a Cub Scout Troop to increase health knowledge and behaviors related to nutrition and exercise. Methodology: Cub Scouts will participate in weekly 1-hour meetings using the KidsFit curriculum, created by RWJBarnabas Health, delivered over 6 weeks. The intervention was evaluated using a pre- and post-test design that measured participants' health knowledge and healthy behaviors. Participants were provided with fitness trackers that measured the amount of physical activity performed over the 6-week period. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the aggregate mean scores of measure instruments completed on Week 1 compared to Week 6. Results: Measure instruments completed on Week 1 and Week 6 indicated that there was an increase in all three outcome measures: health knowledge, healthy behaviors, and physical activity. The aggregate mean of the knowledge test scores increased from 50.6% to 82.1%. Reported aggregate mean of healthy behaviors increased from 3.06 to 4.02. Finally, the aggregate mean of weekly steps increased from 29,097 steps to 45,272 steps. Participants were receptive to session topics and eager to engage in healthy activities. Implications for Practice: Childhood obesity prevention programs in community settings have the potential to increase health knowledge and behaviors and decrease the prevalence of obesity. Initiating prevention interventions early in life, such as during the school-aged period, can impact lifestyle behaviors that are still being established. Delivery of prevention programs in a social setting allows healthy behaviors to be further reinforced by peer influence and modeling. Health care providers can use these prevention programs as a health promotion resource for their patients and should advocate for the expanded use of these programs in their immediate communities. KW - Childhood obesity KW - Prevention programs KW - Community KW - Peer influence KW - Per learning KW - Nutrition KW - Physical activity KW - Pediatric Nurse Practitioner LA - English ER -