Connecting Early Childhood Environments to Health and Development: An Ecological Approach to Obesity

• In Event: 73.060 - Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: 73.060-7 - The Environment and Its Impact on Early Chidhood

Abstract

Efforts to prevent childhood obesity have focused largely on school-aged children, with relatively little attention to children under age 5, and an emphasis on biological and health determinants. However, it is important to consider other environmental factors that influence young children’s development. This paper presents a comprehensive theoretical model that accounts for the multiple environmental influences on young children’s development to better understand the impacts of obesity early in life. Support for this model and its applications to empirical approaches are provided through a systematic review of published research on the topic of early childhood obesity.

Author

• Abigail M. Velikov, NYC Department of Health & Mental Health