Evidence-Based Practices for
Healthiest Wisconsin 2010

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Health Priority: Overweight, obesity, and lack of physical activity

Objective: Overweight and obesity

1. Between 2000 and 2010, reduce the proportion of Wisconsin children who are overweight from 11.4 percent to 9.4 percent.
2. Between 2000 and 2010, reduce the proportion of Wisconsin adolescents who are overweight from 10 percent to 8 percent.
3. Between 2000 and 2010, reduce the proportion of Wisconsin adults who are obese from 20 percent to 15 percent.

Sufficient Evidence for Effectiveness was found for the following interventions:

• Multi-component interventions aimed at diet, physical activity and cognitive change

Insufficient Evidence to Determine Effectiveness was found for the following interventions:

• School-based programs for children and adolescents
• Single-component interventions aimed at diet, physical activity and cognitive change

Mixed Evidence was found for the following interventions:
(none)

Sufficient Evidence for Ineffectiveness was found for the following interventions:
(none)

Limitations/Comments:

1. The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a well respected source of evidence-based practices in public health. With guidance from the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, it summarizes what is known about the effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility of interventions to promote community health and prevent disease for a variety of topics.
2. The scope of the Community Guide obesity review coincides almost perfectly with the overweight/obesity objectives from the state health plan. For this reason, the Community Guide interventions are utilized as recommendations for this objective.

Additional References:
Guide to Community Preventive Services: What works to improve health? Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Zaza S, Briss PA, and Harris KW (editors). Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2005.

Jain A.  What works for obesity? A summary of the research behind obesity interventions. BMJ Publishing, 2004.

Guide to Community Preventive Services: Obesity Prevention (exit DHS)

Obesity: Halting the Epidemic by Making Health Easier  (exit DHS)

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Last Revised: June 19, 2009