141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

290428
Addressing childhood obesity and physical inactivity through a health curriculum designed for and by a community soccer league

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Isaac Koh, MPH (c) , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Jessica Nguyen, MPH (c) , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Lilian Correa, MPH (c) , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Katie Dambrun, MPH , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
Tina Pruna, MPH , Loma Linda University Community-Academic Partners in Service, Loma Linda, CA
Eddy Jara, DrPH , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Juan Carlos Belliard, PhD, MPH , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Thelma Gamboa-Maldonado, DrPH , Department of Global Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA
Issues: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 12.5 million or 17% of American children are obese. In resource-poor San Bernardino County, California (SBC), children ages 2-11 and 12-17 demonstrate high overweight percentages of 14.6% and 28.6% respectively. Description: In 2009, the Loma Linda University (LLU) Community-Academic Partners in Service (CAPS) sponsored the Goal 4 Health Soccer League (G4H) in SBC as an attempt to combat the obesity epidemic through physical exercise and friendly competition. G4H's goal is to create a safe, fun environment for families of mixed socio-economic strata. In order to understand and prioritize parents' and coaches' health concerns and solutions for their children, Loma Linda University School of Public Health students conducted qualitative assessments (key informant interviews and focus groups) guided by constructs of the Health Belief Model and community-based participatory methodologies. Lessons Learned: Primary health concerns identified by parents and coaches included: 1) Active Lifestyle; 2) Sportsmanship; 3) Water; 4) Healthy Snacks; 5) Sugary Drinks; 6) Bullying; and 7) Asthma. These results and inspired by the success of other health promotion soccer leagues, the Federation Internationale de Futbol Association's (FIFA) 11 for Health model, and the Bundesliga's Success in Soccer book series, led the league to develop and implement an interactive soccer health curriculum with 300 G4H children, ages 3-12, throughout the eight week G4H season. Recommendations: G4H hopes this health curriculum will serve as a model for sports leagues; especially in communities where academic and medical support is scarce or unavailable.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health curriculum for a community soccer league. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of implementing a health curriculum in a community soccer league.

Keywords: Children's Health, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a student, the majority focus of my academic work has been on program planning, program development, and preventing obesity and physical inactivity through community-based sports programs.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.