Abstract: Iron deficiency anemia is a widespread nutritional problem. Children are particularly vulnerable due to poor maternal iron status and inadequate diet. Since iron plays a vital role in neurological development, its deficiency in early life can lead to altered cognition and motor development. Severe iron deficiency during infancy can affect the major processes such as myelination, development of neurotransmitter pathways, neural metabolism and neural plasticity. The present review intends to provide information on the various effects of iron deficiency during different stages of life cycle. Clinical trials conducted on both humans and animals have established that infants who suffer iron deficiency during the early years of life are known to be under risk for experiencing the long lasting effect of early iron deficiency in future years also. Follow-up studies conducted on infants showed that the anemic children continued to exhibit lower cognitive development compared to their non-anemic counterparts and also had difficulty in the development of motor control tasks. Hence, there is a need to identify and correct iron deficiency anemia during the early years of life to prevent possible future complications.

Keywords: Prevalence of iron deficiency, motor development, premature infants, neurocognitive effects, iron absorption, iron supplements.

Abstract: The need for effective community, child weight management interventions continues. The BeeZee Bodies (BZB) family-based child weight management programme for 7-11-year-olds and 12-15–year-olds has been developed iteratively over five years, with quantitative and qualitative evaluations refining the programmes. The aim of this study was to present the experiences and opinions of those taking part in BZB programmes as part of a real world evaluation. Three focus groups, following a semi-structured protocol, were conducted with 20 participants (15 parents, 5 adolescents) 3 months post-intervention. Analyses were thematic, iterative and underpinned by Grounded Theory. Two themes emerged; (1) programme contents, (2) social interactions, with each sub-divided. Parents described increased appreciation of physical activity and dietary components, improvements in parenting and good relationships with personnel. A wide range of positive personal outcomes and changes within the family were perceived by parents and adolescents including: changes in physical activity take-up, eating habits, portion sizes, and an improved understanding of parenting an overweight child. The parenting skills element further enhanced the social cohesion fostered through attendance. There were opportunities to build new friendships for both parents and adolescents, and for parents to interact with their offspring in a different context, all of which supported behaviour change. The BZB programme was viewed by participants as successful and delivered by engaging personnel. Key strengths were social cohesion generated by including parenting sessions and inclusiveness of the physical activities on offer. BZB has been refined in response to qualitative evaluations and reviews and this process continues.

Keywords:Child obesity, evaluation, qualitative, focus groups, social impact.

Abstract: Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of the Children’s Healthy Eating and Exercise Program (CHEE) in an afterschool program of an elementary school.

Methods:Students in a low-income elementary school were recruited to participate in the program. Thirty-three children were in the intervention group. Twenty-four children in the comparison group were recruited from after school clubs in the same elementary school.The CHEE Program consisted of 18 sessions, featuring nutrition (20 min) and physical activity (40 min) lessons. Nutrition lessons were adapted from the Traffic Light Diet. Other lessons included MyPlate, my refrigerator, my lunchbox, and a healthy foods tasting activity. Multiple physical activities were utilized in the program including soccer, dance, relay races, tag, and other fun games. Data were collected at the beginning and end of the program.

Results: Children in both groups reported eating more vegetables at the post-intervention measurement. Children in the intervention group indicated that they learned about healthy eating and new physical activities due to their participation in the program.

Conclusions: Future studies are needed to discover barriers to behavior change as well as apply a more rigorous design to examine the impact of the CHEE Program.

Keywords: Afterschool health education program, low-income children, healthy eating, nutrition education, physical activity.

Abstract: Childhood and adolescent obesity has increased drastically in the past 30 years. While this is troubling, there is also evidence of large disparities among certain ethnic groups such as African American and Hispanic children and adolescents. The Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Model emphasizes a collaborative, co-learning, mutually beneficial, and community-partnered approach to research. Unique aspects of this model include viewing community members as equal partners in non-hierarchical teams, working together in a strengths-based, action oriented research process. This review consists of an investigation of the CBPR approach, its important tenets, and why such an approach may be more effective for childhood and adolescent obesity intervention program development, especially in stratified communities.

Keywords: Childhood and adolescent obesity, Community-Based Participatory Research, community, engagement, health disparity.