Community Programs on Obesity Treatment and Management

Facilitate healthy active living in communities by engaging pediatricians as advocates and seeding pilot approaches. Explore the projects and programs below to learn more about our community work.

InclusiveHealth Grants Program

The Inclusive Health Grants Program is a pilot project established to encourage pediatricians to work locally and seed and promote linkages and approaches to support healthy weight initiatives for children with intellectual disabilities (ID). The mini-grants have the potential to strengthen the relationship between the healthcare and ID communities. Grantees in Ohio (x2), Rhode Island, New York and Iowa have been awarded. These grants are generously supported by Special Olympics International. [In Progress]

Training early care and education providers to support healthy active living in their programs

The Institute and the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness have partnered to develop a cadre of training, technical assistance, and hands-on tools for early care and education programs and families. Resources run the gamut from in-person workshops to an interactive online module and simple, picture–based resources, all focused on healthy active living basics and strategies for extending healthy habits into the home environment. [In Progress]

Impact: In just the past year, over 1,500 staff have been trained through in-person trainings and webinars and 6 new resources have been developed for staff and families.

Supporting pediatric trainees to address healthy active living in their communities

The Institute and the AAP Community Pediatrics Training Initiative established the Healthy Active Living Grants Program to support pediatric residency programs and AAP chapters in building organizational capacity, including partnerships with community-based organizations, to develop and implement sustainable strategies to support healthy active living for children and families. Four grant cycles were conducted, spanning 6 years (2009-2015). Funding for this project was made possible by grants from MetLife Foundation. View the program report. [Project Completed]

Impact: Over $400,000 has been awarded as part of this program benefiting 21 grantees across the US. Learn more about the program's results and impact.

Identifying policy strategies to support pregnant woman and young children in the prevention of obesity

The Institute convened the Shaping the Health of the Next Generation: Early Obesity Prevention Policy Roundtable Series to examine policy opportunities with the greatest potential to prevent childhood obesity during the window between pregnancy and a child's fifth birthday (P-5). Special priority was placed on identifying policies that would help the populations most at-risk for obesity. This project was funded through a grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. View the Executive Summary. [Project Completed]

Impact: This was a novel approach to looking at policy, as the roundtable series was rooted in the developmental perspective focusing on the mother-infant dyad, young children and families rather than sector or setting.