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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary Story, PhD, RD, Nancy E. Sherwood, PhD, Mary H. Smyth, MS, Yolanda Cartwright, MS, RD, and Marsha Davis, PhD. Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, 612-626-8801, story@epi.umn.edu
The primary goal of the Girls health Enrichment Multi-Site (GEMS) study is to develop and evaluate community and family-based behavioral interventions to promote healthful eating and activity behaviors in 8-10 year old African American girls to reduce their risk for obesity and associated health problems. The goals of formative assessment at the University of Minnesota field center were to: 1) identify specific health behaviors and risk factors that may contribute to obesity in the study population; 2) assist in the development of culturally appropriate instruments and data collection procedures; 3) generate ideas on how to maximize parental involvement and continued participation of the girls; 4) identify neighborhood and environmental barriers and resources; and 5) plan a community-based program that is feasible, appropriate and sustainable to allow long-term integration into the community. Multiple strategies were used to collect data to address these issues including: focus groups and surveys with girls (n=90) and their parents/caregivers (n=85), in-depth interviews with community leaders and youth workers (n=30), and a card-sorting study (n=96) that assessed girls' food and activity preferences and patterns. Results from these studies helped inform the choice of intervention targets by identifying frequency of consumption of specific foods and beverages. Information gathered on activity preference and frequency was also used to develop program activities. Furthermore, key barriers to program participation were identified (e.g., transportation).
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: African American, Obesity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.