Table 1.

Summary of the Communities for Healthy Living (CHL) Intervention

Intervention component	Description	Intervention principles	Link with community assessment findings [1]
Health Communication Campaign	Posters (N=6) displayed on a rotating basis in all Head Start centers for 3–4 weeks each. Each poster was also sent home as a flyer with information about other components of the CHL program printed on the back.	·Increase parent awareness and recognition of their child’s weight status	·Parents displayed low awareness of childhood obesity and its health ramifications
			·Parents endorsed myths about obesity
		·Dispel myths about children’s weight status (e.g., he’s just big for his age, my child is active she can’t be overweight, juice is good for my child)
Revised Body Mass Index (BMI) letters	Letters sent home to families with results from their child’s height and weight measurements were revised to improve the accessibility of information for parents. Additional information outlined how to interpret child BMI and weight status and identify community resources to prevent/treat overweight in children	·Increase parent awareness and understanding of child weight status	·Parents displayed low awareness of childhood obesity
			·Parents reported that they did not understand the content of the BMI letters sent home by Head Start
		·Increase parent awareness of local resources for obesity prevention and treatment
Family nutrition counseling	Informal nutrition counseling sessions were integrated into Head Start family engagement activities. Local nutrition graduate students attended Head Start family events, provided samples of healthy foods and answered any questions parents had regarding their child’s and their own nutrition and weight status,.	·Foster parent social networking	·Parents reported an interest in connecting with other Head Start parents and sharing information.
		·Promote parent resource empowerment
			·Few services for childhood weight management were available in the community.
		·Increase parent nutrition knowledge
Parents’ Connect for Healthy Living Program	Six weekly 2-hour sessions implemented in each Head Start center. All sessions addressed skills that parents were most interested in gaining, incorporated materials/examples around healthy living, and included workshops by local organizations (e.g., media literacy training provided by a local public broadcasting station). Sessions were led by trained parent leaders in conjunction with an experienced group moderator.	Sessions included materials/examples specific to healthy living and addressed the following:	·Parents expressed an interest in developing the skills outlined during the community assessment.
		·Resource identification and utilization	·Children watched extensive amounts of TV. Parents reported high levels of stress and a need to rely on child screen time as down time or to get things done. Media literacy training was intended to support parents in making mindful decisions about child screen time (i.e., to make active decisions about when and what a child could watch).
		·Effective communication
		·Conflict resolution
		·Media literacy
		·Professionalism
Child program	Held concurrently with the parent program for children accompanying their parents. Engaged children in activities similar to the parent program. Mini workshops were run by local organizations (e.g., dance studios, karate)	·Enjoyment of active recreation
		·Media literacy

[1] Community assessment findings are summarized in Davison, Jurkowski & Lawson (in press). Family-centered obesity prevention redefined: The Family Ecological Model. Public Health Nutrition.