Cardiovascular disease accounted for 40.6% of deaths in the United States in 1998. Although CVD does not manifest until adulthood, risk factors for CVD, such as obesity, may develop in childhood and persist into adulthood. We propose to test the efficacy of an intervention designed to prevent obesity in low-income, Mexican American children. Mexican-American children are more obese than other minority groups in the U.S. population, and are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S.A. Poor dietary practices, especially food habits that are acquired as families acculturate to the American food supply, are thought to be associated with children's excess weight gain.