ABSTRACT
Although a recent nationally representative study found a decline in obesity in 2-to 5-year-old children, this was not true for low-income and minority children [1]. In fact, 40% of low-income children enrolled in federally funded programs are already overweight or obese by age 5 [2]. This failure to effectively prevent the onset of obesity among at-risk children will only intensify and perpetuate health disparities, because once established, obesity is hard to reverse [3], and overweight youth have a 70% chance of becoming obese adults [4]. The stability of obesity across the life span, and the physical, psychosocial, and financial costs related to obesity for individuals and the larger society [5], raise the impetus to correct weight trajectories among at-risk children before they become overweight or obese. Unfortunately, extant childhood obesity interventions and prevention efforts have had limited success, especially among underserved children whose families are low income and of color.
