The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44168

Michelle Oppen, MPH, CHES¹, Gil Sisneros, MPH, CHES², Leslie Mikkelsen, MPH, RD³, Mike Miller⁴, Amy Woodman⁴, Amy M. Carroll, MPH⁵, and Sarah E. Samuels, DrPH⁵. (1) Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, Public Health Institute, 2168 Shattuck Ave, Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94704-1307, 510-644-2569, moppen@dhs.ca.gov, (2) California Department of Health Services, Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, PO Box 942732, MS 662, 601 N. 7th Street, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, (3) Prevention Institute, 265 29th Street, Oakland, CA 94611, (4) Brown Miller Communications, 1114 Jones Street, Martinez, CA 94553, (5) Samuels & Associates, 1204 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94110

Regular physical activity significantly reduces risk for many chronic diseases and conditions, but few public health programs identify it as a primary focus. In the summer of 2001, the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section (CPNS) of the California Department of Health Services, funded by the USDA, began a series of formative research projects to develop a social marketing campaign incorporating physical activity with nutrition education for using the social-ecological model. The research focused on low-income white, African American, and Latina mothers of school-aged children in California because there is little research and very few existing programs that address these populations. The information gathered from the research and planning activities was used to begin planning for community-based pilot projects in regions throughout California. The research and planning projects included: a strategic planning process entitled Strategies for Action, focus groups, environmental scans, key informant interviews, a literature review, and a marketing trend analysis. The moderator will: ·Provide the background/overview of CPNS and the formative research; ·Describe the resulting pilot projects taking place in the Oakland, Los Angeles, and Riverside regions of California; ·Introduce each research presentation; and ·Lead a concluding discussion with audience members.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session the participants should be able to

• Describe formative research methods for planning community-based physical activity programs.
• Identify unique and similar findings gleaned from the different research activities.
• Develop a plan for a large-scale, social marketing physical activity campaign.

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.