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Mass in Motion Kids

Massachusetts Community-Clinical Partnerships to Reduce Childhood Obesity

Announcements

Recruitment for this project has closed. Please check back soon to see the list of sites selected to participate!

The Project

Mass in Motion Kids is an anti-obesity effort spearheaded by the Massachusetts Department of Health and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The project will take place in the communities of Fitchburg and New Bedford, Massachusetts, and will focus primarily on underserved children ages 2-12. The work will focus on making changes in primary care, child care, schools, and after-school programs, as well as on creating policy change and building awareness through a community-wide social marketing campaign. The project will be administered in conjunction with the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ).

NICHQ’s role will be to train healthcare professionals in the communities. NICHQ has developed numerous tools and resources to aid healthcare professionals in the fight against childhood obesity. Faculty and staff from NICHQ will offer trainings on how to access and utilize these resources.

Project Goals

Discover the extent to which a multi-level, multi-sector intervention will decrease screen time and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and increase physical activity, improved sleep and the intake of fruits and vegetables.
Establish body mass index screenings and education for all 2-12 year olds.
Coordinate multi-disciplinary clinical care for children with BMI greater than the 85th percentile.
Collect data on the costs of intervention
Develop a detailed guide that other Massachusetts communities can use to adopt effective practices.

Status and Milestones

July 2012:

The project concluded a successful Recruitment Period, which ran from June 28-July 26.

June 2012:

The initiative began the Recruitment Period and created a Recruitment Website to give those practices or clinics interested in applying more information about the project and the application process.

October 2011:

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health officially announced the initiative.
Read the CDC story “Identifying Effective Strategies to Help Combat Childhood Obesity.”