The past decade ushered in a flurry of community interventions carrying lofty goals to improve health status and decrease health disparities, some of which focused on physical activity and diet. The manner in which physical activity and diet intervention programs are developed, in part, determines their success. In shaping programs, few intervention organizations apply an ecological model that considers the socioeconomic status (SES) context characterized by multiple levels. As evidenced by their results, failure to consider individual and family level SES factors results in greater success by these interventions to facilitate health behavior change in higher than lower SES groups potentially increasing the health disparity gap. This paper is a multi-level analysis examining the relationship between two SES levels, individual and family, and two health behaviors, physical activity and diet. Data derives from SisterTalk, a federally funded community intervention aimed at increasing physical activity and improving diet among urban Black women through cable TV. Surveys for the two levels of SES measures and health behaviors were administered to participants at pre- and post-intervention. Intervention effects on physical activity and diet were assessed as a function of individual and family-level SES measures. Results demonstrate family-level factors acted as predictors of changes in physical activity and diet following the intervention. Moreover, tangible measures, including housing, adequate transportation and childcare, provide further information about how SES can influence health behaviors. Use of multi-level SES indicators can help shape program development for underserved populations specifically in areas of physical activity and diet.
Learning Objectives: Following this presentation, the learner will be able to: 1. Expand the concept of socioeconomic status to include more than one level such as family and neighborhood level factors 2. Critically review different socioeconomic survey tools that serve best to measure the socioeconomic construct in their study/program 3. Increase awareness of the differential relationship between individual health behaviors and unique socioeconomic measures 4. Identify established community agencies already working to address social disparities that can work collaboratively to address socio-economic factors influencing health behaviors specifically physical activity and diet 3. Integrate into their needs assessment at least two multiple levels of socioeconomic measures 4. Evaluate program outcomes as a function of socioeconomic factors 5. Shape and develop programs that take into account the target population's socioeconomic status
Keywords: Social Class, Social Inequalities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.