Date

3-10-2026

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc)

Chair

Mallory Ball

Keywords

obesity, whole foods, physical activity, childhood education, adults

Disciplines

Health and Physical Education | Public Health

Abstract

Obesity is a growing national public health crisis, impacting millions of adults and children in the U.S. Untreated obesity causes or aggravates diseases across multiple body systems. The societal impacts of obesity include an avoidable strain on the national healthcare system, with obesity and its comorbid conditions raising healthcare costs. Proactive policy and practices, with strict oversight, are essential for achieving a reduction in obesity rates. One proactive strategy that may be effective is early-age intervention, including enhanced physical activity and nutrition education for U.S. children. This study evaluates adolescent-intervention strategies for reducing rates of adult obesity. The employed methods utilize a quality improvement strategy through secondary data analysis. Data sources include the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study (YRBSS). The goal of the data analysis was to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the interventions designed to reduce obesity outcomes in the adult population. Trends revealed through the data analysis may provide evidence that is crucial to developing evidence-based policy or practices on childhood-intervention strategies. If successful, this study will provide a roadmap for building healthy habits in adolescents that will eventually reduce the worldwide incidences of adult obesity.

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