SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report
Sections
Status: Approved
Basic Information
- Project No. and Title: W1194 : Children's Healthy Living Network (CHLN) in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Region
- Period Covered: 10/01/2016 to 09/30/2017
- Date of Report: 06/16/2017
- Annual Meeting Dates: 06/12/2017 to 06/14/2017
Participants
Joshua Greenberg, University of Alaska Fairbanks Patricia Coleman, Northern Marianas College Tanisha Aflague, University of Guam Rachael Leon Guerrero, University of Guam Robert L. Barber, University of Guam Rachael Novotny, University of Hawaii Jean Butel, University of Hawaii Marie FIalkowski, University of Hawaii Jean Butel, University of Hawaii Erik Hill, University of Hawaii Vanessa Wong, University of Hawaii
Monday, June 12, 2017
- Introductions/Project Overview/Background/Project Importance. Link to CHLN project https://www.nimss.org/projects/view/mrp/outline/18097
- Defined project management standards, policies and procedures. Link to CHLN document 20121113 CHL Guidelines-Procedures.docx
- Established project organization & communication standards. Link to CHLN document 20121113 CHL Guidelines-Procedures.docx
- Update on CHL Monitoring system
- Update on CHL Training
- Group updates related to CHLN multi-state project
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
- Worked on CHL Center grant (Objective 2)
- Established working sub-groups related to Monitoring, Training, & Extension
- Work on Proposals Related to Monitoring, Training, & Extension (Objective 2)
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
- Developed sub-group work plan
- CHLN Elections and Integrate work plans
- Reviewed project timeline and Next Meeting Date
Accomplishments
Background. The Pacific region has some of the highest rates of non-communicable disease in the world. The FSM and the Marshall Islands are in the top three of rates of diabetes in the world (35%, International Diabetes Federation 2013). Diabetes, heart diseases, strokes, cancer and other NCDs are affecting Pacific peoples at a disproportionate rate compared to other populations, placing a significant burden on their daily functionality, and threatening the national security of these island countries and territories (PIHOA 2010). All of these conditions have a primary causal factor: obesity. Adult obesity is among the highest in the world in these countries, especially among women (FSM 58%, Marshall Islands 48%, Ng et al 2013). Pacific lifestyles continue to transition from native crops to imported foods, and from active forms of work and play to sedentary ones, as in most of the world (World Health Organization, 2015, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en). Data are limited on children of the region. Childhood obesity is an important determinant of adult obesity. Obese children have a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. Obese children have breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects. Contributors to obesity occur across the life course and include both early undernutrition and nutrition excess. Obesity is associated with social and health problems. Prevention is the best long term solution. The Children’s Healthy Living Network (CHLN) multi-state Hatch Project is building and sustaining activities developed in the CHL program.
Project Objectives: 1. Adapt and disseminate CHL child obesity policy, systems and environmentally focused multi-level prevention training and social marketing materials for the Pacific region; 2. Facilitate use of CHL data, findings related to child obesity and its multilevel (policy, system, and environmental) determinants; 3. Promote partnership and coalition building and strengthening in and among Pacific communities and the region around child health; and 4. Build and sustain a child health and nutrition monitoring system in the Pacific.
Main Accomplisments of the W1194 "CHLN" multistate group for FY2017. 1) Group members have met on a monthly basis to continue work on the CHL/CHLN objectives; 2) During the 2017 Annual meeting, group members created subgroups (Monitoring, Training, Research, and Extension and Policy) to better define the outcomes, outputs, activies, and milestones. Each of the CHLN subgroups (Monitoring, Training, Research, and Extension and Policy) have a published CHL paper, for reference. Details for each subgroup can be found in attached minutes; and 3) Group members worked together to submit proposal for the USDA-NIFA-AFRI-006346 announcement in July 2017.
Impacts
- The Children’s Healthy Living Network (CHLN) multi-state is building and sustaining activities developed in the CHL program. Each of the CHLN subgroups (Monitoring, Training, Research, and Extension and Policy have a published CHL paper, for reference. Publications and presentations from the CHL program can be found on the CHL web site at www.chl-pacific.org.
- Continued anthropometric standardization in US Affiliated Pacific Region, which resulted in the following: Multi-state members influencing and promoting PIHOA resolution to continue train and standardize anthropometric measures to improve the quality of data and reporting. Increasing usefulness of the information for decision making related to non-communicable and communicable diseases critical to the region. Northern Marianas College (NMC) is continuing standardization and training in American Samoa, Pohnpei and CNMI Head Start/ECE. Building the system for regional standardization for anthropometric measures for all age groups. Expanding appropriate measures for the various age groups. Draft training and standardization manual for all age groups. Expanding the network of people trained to health leaders in the US Affiliated Region to increase quality of measures. Partnership with PIHOA and Health Departments
- CHL Center grant submission (USDA-NIFA-AFRI-006346) — CHL’s goal is to serve as a Center of Excellence to continue to build capacity in a partnership among 11 jurisdictions of the US Affiliated Pacific - to provide training, research and extension/outreach to maintain and extend the CHL network, examine long-term effects of the multilevel CHL intervention and provide access to best practices in policy, systems and environmental approaches for prevention of child obesity. CHL addresses the USDA NIFA priority areas of 1) food safety, nutrition and health 2) agricultural systems and technology and 3) agricultural economics and rural communities. CHL supports long-range improvement in and sustainability of agriculture and food systems in remote underserved (EPSCOR) US jurisdictions of the Pacific Region that are not represented in National Nutrition and Health Monitoring (NHANES).
Publications
Novotny, R., F. Li, L. Wilkens, M. Fialkowski, T. Fleming, P. Coleman, R. Leon Guerrero, A. Bersamin, and J. Deenik. 2017. Economic Influences on Child Growth Status, from the Children’s Healthy Living Program in the US-Affiliated Pacific Region. ADBI Working Paper 698. Tokyo: Asian Development Bank Institute. Available: https://www.adb.org/publications/economic-influences-child-growth-status.
Rachel Novotny, Fenfang Li , Rachael Leon Guerrero , Patricia Coleman, Aifili J. Tufa , Andrea Bersamin , Jonathan Deenik and Lynne R Wilkens. Dual burden of malnutrition in US Affiliated Pacific jurisdictions in the Children’s Healthy Living Program. Novotny et al.BMC Public Health (2017) 17:483 DOI 10.1186/s12889-017-4377-6.
Esquivel MK, Fialkowski MK, Aflague T, Novotny R (2016) Engaging Head Start Teachers on Wellness Policy Implementation to Improve the Nutrition and Physical Activity Environment in Head Start Classrooms: A Qualitative Study of the Children’s Healthy Living Program (CHL) in Hawai’i. J Family Med Community Health 3(5): 1094.
Nigg, C.R., Ul Anwar, M.M., Braun, K.L., Mercado, J., Fialkowski, M.K., Areta, A., Belyeu Camacho, T., Bersamin, A., Leon Guerrero, R., Castro, R., DeBaryshe, B., Vargo, A.M., Braden, K.W., Novotny, R. A review of promising multicomponent environmental child obesity prevention intervention strategies by the children’s healthy living program. Journal of Environmental Health. 2016; 79(3): 18-26.
Mikkelsen, B.E., Novotny, R., Gittelsohn, J. Multi-Level, Multi-Component Approaches to Community Based Interventions for Healthy Living—A Three Case Comparison. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2016; 13:1023. doi:10.3390/ijerph13101023
Novotny R., Li F., Fialkowski M.K., Bersamin A., Tufa A., Deenik J., Coleman P., Leon Guerrero R., Wilkens, L.R. Prevalence of obesity and acanthosis nigricans among young children in the children’s healthy living program in the United States Affiliated Pacific. Medicine (2016) 95:37(e4711). http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000004711