Programme:
Physical Activity & Nutrition After-School Program Evaluation Study
Sponsor:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state grants to support the evaluation of 5-A-Day nutrition programs
Contact:
Claire Heiser
Texas Department of Health
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, Texas 78756
Phone Number: (512) 458-7111 X 2298
Objective
The Texas Department of Health and The Cooper Institute
for Aerobics Research, in collaboration with Voyager Inc.,
have collaborated on the development of a multi-level
intervention to promote physical activity and 5-A-Day
nutrition messages. The pilot study uses an eight-week
intervention to initiate and sustain fruit and vegetable
consumption and physical activity among low-income minority
children and their parents.
More specifically, this study:
- Collects baseline data on the physical activity
and dietary habits of low-income, minority
families with children 6-11 years of age,
- Identifies barriers and socialization factors
influencing fruit and vegetable consumption and
physical activity among the target population,
- Evaluates the effects of an after-school
intervention on parent and child behaviors,
attitudes and beliefs regarding fruits and
vegetables and physical activity,
and
- Identifies factors that influence successful
implementation of the intervention in sites with varying capacities.
Assessment of Need
Obesity rates among children and adults in the United States
are rapidly increasing. Certain subgroups seem to be at greater
risk of becoming overweight. Higher prevalence of obesity is
found consistently among African-American and Hispanic children.(1)
Race is also a significant predictor of overweight status in adults.
According to the 1998 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
Survey, individuals who have completed up to an eighth grade
education are significantly more overweight (69.9%) than college
graduates (51.3%).(2) Two factors that contribute to being
overweight are poor diet and lack of physical activity.
Strategy
Based on socio-ecological theory, this initiative seeks to
create a multi-level intervention that supports and promotes
physical activity and selection of fruits and vegetables. At
the individual level it is designed to increase knowledge,
attitudes and practices; at the interpersonal level, it is
designed to create family interactions that promote these behaviors.
At the institutional level, the focus is on creating a sustainable
curriculum with an established program.
Evaluation Approach
An impact evaluation measures intervention outcomes on parent and
child attitudes and practices. Pre and post implementation measures
are recorded using food consumption and preference checklists along
with physiological measures of calories expended. An implementation
evaluation uses a cross case comparison to document and assess variations
in capacity; implementation fidelity and completeness; barriers and facilitators.
Implications for the Practitioner
A multi-level intervention simultaneously targeting the individual,
family and organization may be advantageous for short-term change
in the attitudes and practices of low-income minority children and
long-term impact on the family. A project of this type needs to pay
particular attention to staff qualifications, organizational program
structure and organizational capacity. Research is needed it identify a)
if there is a threshold site capacity and infrastructure that must be
present to achieve effective implementation, and, b) effective strategies
for building capacity in organizations working with high risk populations.
(1) Troiano, R.P., & Flegal, K.M., Overweight children and Adolescents:
Description, Epidemiology, and Demographics, Pediatrics, 10193), 497-504, 1998.
(2) Texas Department of Health, Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
Survey, unpublished data, 1998.
