Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114510

Ronni Lee Bowen, PhD¹, Elvira Mebane², and Eugenia Eng, DrPH¹. (1) Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina, Rosenau Hall, Campus Box 7440, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, 919-966-9557, rbowen@unc.edu, (2) Orange County Health Department, United Voices of Efland, P.O. Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Compared to the general population, African Americans experience a higher prevalence of health disparities that stem from the complex interplay of economic, social, and cultural factors. Much of African American morbidity and mortality from lifestyle related diseases is preventable and attributed to modifiable risk factors including food choices. Unhealthy diets and lifestyles are well-documented for low-income, rural dwelling African Americans. However, few studies have examined how healthful aspects of African American food culture and the positive influences of women and elders contribute to health promoting food choices in this population. The objectives of this research were to: 1) understand food choices and related experiences of African American families in one rural North Carolina community and, 2) explore intergenerational transmission of healthful behaviors among three generations of women and girls within families. This community-based participatory project was guided by an ecological framework which considers individuals and behaviors within the context of environment and culture. Twelve adolescents and elders, recruited from an ongoing intergenerational assets project, comprised the advisory committee and were trained in qualitative methodology. Youth/elder community researchers conducted in-depth individual interviews with women and girls from three generations within each of twenty families. Participant observation, field notes on food environments, and demographic information were triangulated with interview data to create family food ethnographies that will be presented in an audiovisual format. This participatory project led by community researchers has contributed to the knowledge base of African American food and family culture and documented valuable traditions at risk for being lost.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the process of engaging community members as researchers in a participatory project.
• Recognize how family, cultural, and neighborhood contexts influence food choices.
• Identify how pathways of intergenerational cultural transmission are supported and truncated.

Keywords: Community Participation, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation