The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50490

Srimathi Kannan, PhD, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health Human Nutrition Program, 1420 Washington Heights, School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, Charlene Acker, Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD), 601 N. Saginaw St., Suite 1B, Flint, MI 48502, (810) 232-2185, kannans@umich.edu, Elizabeth Tropiano, MS, Health Sciences and Administration, University of Michigan-Flint, 303 E. Kearsley, 402 MSB, Flint, MI 48502, Amy Thompson, RD, WIC, Genesee County Health Department, 630 S. Saginaw Street, Flint, MI 48502, and Holly Noble, RD, MFIT Health Promotion, University of Michigan Health System, 2850 South Industrial, Suite 600, Ann Arbor, MI 48167.

The REACH 2010 Initiative Reducing Racial Disparity in Infant Mortality in Genesee County Flint Michigan is CDC funded, that targets four postal zip code areas with the highest rates of infant mortality and consists of simultaneous interventions that reinforce community activities to reduce risks associated with infant health. One such activity planned is the "Healthy Eating Initiative".The objectives of the "Healthy Eating" focus group were to identify perceived supports and barriers to eating healthy for African American women of childbearing age, and utilize information from the focus groups to inform the design of the intervention. Eight African American adolescents drawn from WIC participated in 4 focus groups. Data analysis was done by general content and specific content coding. A general summary of the results is presented here. These young women show creativity with recipes while indicating a desire to be more involved with preparing foods. They acknowledge lack of time and resources as major barriers to eating healthy. They enjoy the experience of eating out. They recognize that larger grocery stores have variety of foods, but access/transportation are of concern. These women listed several needs related to full fledged grocery stores ranging from quality of food selection to improvement in customer service. With regard to prenatal care, most felt that limited nutrition information was offered to them. In summary, there exists modifiable barriers and encouraging supports to healthy eating in the community. Their desire for new information about eating healthy and their interest in nutrition education is encouraging.

Learning Objectives: After participating in the session, the learner will be able to

• Assess the influence of cultural components and environmental supports and barriers on food choices of young women.
• Describe relevant themes that address cultural and historical implications of African American food and nutritional choices and assess that information as it pertains to the local community of interest.
• Recognize and appreciate the importance of focus group discussions with an emphasis on community participation to inform the development of one's community based program in maternal and child health.

Keywords: African American, Infant Mortality

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.