|
|
|
|
|
Mary-Margaret Driskell, MPH, Leanne Mauriello, PhD, and Sara S. Johnson, PhD. Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 755, West Kingston, RI 02892, 404-541-0854, mmdriskell@prochange.com
Obesity and overweight are of epidemic proportions in the U.S. and have almost tripled in the past two decades for adolescents. In addition to the health consequences posed by overweight and obesity, adolescence is the period of greatest risk for developing adult obesity. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) offers a promising approach to understanding and impacting the behaviors related to adolescent obesity prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess stage of change for three of those behaviors: getting sufficient physical activity, eating fruits and vegetables, and limiting TV time. High school students (N=1157, mean age=15.8 years, 75.4% Caucasian, 55.7% female) completed paper-and-pencil surveys, including three items to assess stage of change for each behavior. Nearly 62% were in pre-Action stages (i.e., Precontemplation, Contemplation, or Preparation) for getting 60 minutes or more of physical activity at least 5 days of the week. Eighty-nine percent were in pre-Action stages for eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. For limiting TV time to 2 hours or less each day, 47.2% were in pre-Action stages. Demographic comparisons by stage revealed significant differences by race and grade for limiting TV time, by race and gender for physical activity, and by race for fruit and vegetable consumption. Those differences, and the relationships among the three behaviors, will be discussed. These findings, particularly that a substantial number of high school students are not engaging in these behaviors, underscore the importance of impacting on and providing stage-matched interventions for adolescent obesity prevention.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to
Keywords: Obesity, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employed by Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.