Round 3

Winners Announced

San Diego, Calif., May 15, 2013 The American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) is pleased to announce Familias Activas y Saludables as the winner of Round 3 of the Childhood Obesity Challenge, an online competition for innovative ideas to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.

The third round of the competition focused on interventions for children and their families delivered in clinical settings or involving partnerships between clinics and communities. The competition received 25 entries.

The winning entry, also known as Active and Healthy Families, is a program of Contra Costa County (Calif.) Health Services providing group medical visits for obese and overweight Latino children 5-11 years old seen at federally qualified health centers. In the interactive sessions, a health care team -- consisting of a doctor, a nutritionist, and a promotora (community health worker) -- discuss nutrition, physical activity and stress with the children and their families and help them develop weight loss action plans. A small randomized study showed the program resulted in modest weight loss among children attending 5 sessions.

As the winner of the competition, Familias Activas y Saludables will be featured in an upcoming issue of AJPM and the submitting team; coordinated by Judy Sundquist, special project consultant with Contra Costa Health Services, and including Annabelle Cadiz, Michelle Williams, and Alan Siegel will receive $5,000.

Second place in the competition went to Duke Healthy Lifestyles Clinic, submitted by Julia Wacker and Sarah Armstrong from Duke University. Winner of third place was STAR (Study of Technology to Accelerate Research) submitted by Christine Horan, Sarah Price, and collaborators at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

A

New Outlet for Great Ideas

Through this Challenge, AJPM seeks to provide an outlet for innovations that may not be captured by the traditional scientific publishing model, including:

• creative ideas, programs, projects or interventions that may not yet be backed up by volumes of research data.
• approaches that embody highly innovative strategies that—at present—may be more methods- than results-oriented.
• solutions to childhood obesity emerging from not only academia, but other sectors such as industry, small businesses, social entrepreneurs, media providers or others.
• submissions in a variety of formats such as videos and other graphic displays, online resources and apps for mobile or tablet devices.

Current

Challenge

Numerous challenges exist in the care of children and families struggling with childhood obesity. A family may not recognize that their child is overweight or obese and providers may have difficulty addressing weight status with them. High intensity interventions with evidence of efficacy are not widely disseminated and the efficacy of interventions among more at-risk populations is often not known. In addition, reimbursement may be low, or even non-existent.

The 3^rd Round of AJPM's Childhood Obesity Challenge will focus on innovative clinical strategies to address these and other problems, including:

• Interventions delivered in clinical settings through provider-patient or provider-family interactions
• Approaches by health care systems or health care plans
• Clinical-community or other unique partnerships (e.g., with state or local health departments)
• Strategies to bridge clinical efforts with support outside of the clinical setting
• Innovations in the integration of web, mobile or social technologies into clinical programs for childhood obesity
• Interventions focusing on obese or diabetic pregnant moms

Innovations targeting clinical strategies that focus on obesity in early childhood are encouraged.

Submissions with higher feasibility and with evidence of success are especially encouraged.

Submission

Process

Submissions will be accepted on this website (http://ajpmchallenge.calit2.net). A variety of formats will be accepted.

The Challenge is open to submissions starting February 19, 2013. Deadline for submissions will be March 31, 2013.

The winning submission will be published in AJPM online and a description of the submission will be published in the print version of AJPM. In addition, winning teams will receive a cash prize:

• First Prize: $5,000 *
• Second Prize: $2,500
• Third Prize: $1500

* In addition to a $5,000 cash prize, the winning submission will be featured in the print and online editions of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Who

We Are

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine is the official journal of the American College of Preventive Medicine and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research. It publishes articles in the areas of prevention research, teaching, practice and policy. Original research is published on interventions aimed at the prevention of chronic and acute disease and the promotion of individual and community health. Of particular emphasis are papers that address the primary and secondary prevention of important clinical, behavioral and public health issues such as injury and violence, infectious disease, women's health, smoking, sedentary behaviors and physical activity, nutrition, diabetes, obesity, and alcohol and drug abuse. Papers also address educational initiatives aimed at improving the ability of health professionals to provide effective clinical prevention and public health services. Papers on health services research pertinent to prevention and public health are also published. The journal also publishes official policy statements from the two co-sponsoring organizations, review articles, media reviews, and editorials. Finally, the journal periodically publishes supplements and special theme issues devoted to areas of current interest to the prevention community.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely change. For 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. Follow the Foundation on Twitter www.rwjf.org/twitter or Facebook, www.rwjf.org/facebook.

Archive Gallery

• Round 1-2 Entries and Winners

Timeline

• 19
  FEB
  Accepting Applications
  5 PM EDT. Reached
• 31
  MAR
  Deadline for Proposals
  5 PM EDT. Reached
• 15
  MAY
  Winners Announced
  by 5 PM EDT. Reached

Awards

• 
  1ST PLACE
  $5,000.00 & Journal Feature
• 
  2ND PLACE
  $2,500.00
• 
  3RD PLACE
  $1,500.00

Judges

• 
  Jose Alvarez
  Harvard Business School
• 
  Dr. Thomas Farley
  New York City Health Dept.
• 
  Dr. Ross Hammond
  The Brookings Institution
• 
  Lisa Richter
  GPS Capital Partners, LLC
• 
  Dr. Maya Rockeymoore
  Global Policy Solution
• 
  Dr. James Sallis
  University of California, San Diego
• 
  Dr. Eduardo Sanchez
  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
• 
  Dr. Mary Story
  University of Minnesota