Pamela Denzmore, MPH, Colleen DiIorio, PhD, RN, and Frances McCarty, PhD. Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Rd, Rm. 264, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404.727.3070, pdenzmo@sph.emory.edu

Few studies address fathers' roles in adolescent nutrition and exercise behaviors and the literature that speaks to the role of African American fathers in adolescent nutrition and physical activity is extremely limited. The R.E.A.L.MEN Project was a two component, gender and culturally specific, community based health-related intervention for African American Fathers/father-figures (fathers) and their adolescent sons. The nutrition and exercise (NE) component was based on an intervention designed to 1) increase father-adolescent communication about exercise and nutrition, 2) promote a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, and 3) increase the participant’s self-efficacy and outcome expectancy related to exercise and nutrition. The second component, which served as a comparison group, was based on a similarly structured intervention focused on HIV prevention. Fathers and their adolescents completed a baseline assessment. The fathers (only) were then invited to attend a seven-week intervention, which focused on creating communication skills and providing information on exercise, nutrition, and disease. The fathers and adolescents completed a three month follow-up assessment. Treatment group differences for several nutrition and physical activity outcomes were examined. Two-hundred and thirty-two fathers and their adolescents completed the 3 month assessment. Compared to the HIV intervention group, the NE fathers demonstrated higher levels of self-efficacy for both nutrition and exercise, higher levels of communication with their adolescents regarding nutrition and exercise, improvements in their nutrition behaviors, and a decrease in sedentary behaviors. The R.E.A.L Men Project is funded by The National Institutes of Mental Health R01 MH59010-A101

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe the development and implementation of a culturally specific nutrition and exercise intervention for fathers and sons in the context of social cognitive theory.
• 2. Identify nutrition and physical activity outcomes that were impacted by participation in the intervention.
• 3. Recognize the role African American fathers play in enhancing the physical development of adolescent males through nutrition and exercise.

Keywords: Nutrition, Physical Activity

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.