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

Abstract #115211

Molly M. Jackson¹, Forrest G. Hartl¹, Miguel A. Chion, MD, MPH², and Edgar M. Garcia¹. (1) Educational Theatre Programs, Kaiser Permanente, 815 Colorado Blvd. #103, Los Angeles, CA 90041, 323-252-2865, molly.x.jackson@kp.org, (2) Research and Evaluation Core, AIDS Project Los Angeles, 611 S. Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Background Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Programs (ETP) partnered with the Montebello school district and Nutrition Network to create “Play HEALS” (Healthy Eating Active Living Scenarios), addressing the community's epidemic obesity rates. Montebello is an 84% Latino community; 29% of Latino boys and 21% of girls are obese, the highest prevalence among ethnicities cited. Formative research indicates previous interventions were inadequate thus in-depth interventions were created. The target audience is grades K-5, focusing on grade 4. Students view “The Food Detectives” performance, however, only 4th graders receive multiple classroom interventions. The culmination is a family workshop session. The program was tested for cultural appropriateness—all components are bilingual. Methods Using a quasi-experimental pre and post-test control group design, data was collected from 4th grade students. Survey domains included demographics, health issue awareness, assessed risk and behavioral intentions to reduce their risk, and knowledge gained. ETP collected data from 100 students for the experimental group and 100 students for the control group. Data analysis, including frequencies, chi-square and t-test, is performed using SPSS. Results Formative phase data indicates lack of awareness around portion size, appropriate food groups, lack of exercise in conjunction with over-eating are risk behaviors for obesity. Data reveals students felt limited personal control to change eating habits due to parental control over food purchases. Also, students reported a better understanding of portion size, food groups, and exercise. Other findings will be presented. Video will document the creation process. Conclusions Findings and lessons learned will be presented.

Learning Objectives: