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

Abstract #116116

Cecillia Patterson, North Carolina Central University, 3200D Myra Street, Durham, NC 27707, 919-489-8242, cece_maddie@yahoo.com and Esther Okeiyi, PhD, RD, LDN, Department of Human Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 105 Dent Building, Durham, NC 27707.

Research conducted in conjunction with USDA during 2003-04 helped to define a community around the campus of North Carolina Central University. The community consisted of a fifteen-mile radius around the campus, and was used to study the barriers to healthy eating and physical activity. The objective was to understand the relationship between community, environment, and the ability of residents within the defined community to eat healthy and be physically active. The research showed that physical activity, food outlets, and types of food sold, does have an impact on the neighborhood health status. From this information an intervention was planned, and during the 2004-05 year, a pilot study will be used to test the instruments earmarked for the intervention. The instruments used will be DHKS, Sociodemographic, Anthropometrics, and dietary habits as assessed by the Block Brief 2000 and Block Kids Questionnaire. The intervention focuses on using Eat Smart/Play Hard TM campaign as a nutrition education tool, in an effort to assess eating habits and physical activity changes. Data will be collected from children in 3 age categories (4-6, 7-10, 11-13) and their parents. All of these factors will assist researchers in determining if there is a correlation between nutrition, physical activity, and diabetes. The planned intervention will take place starting in spring of 2006, and will consist of exercise and nutrition education.

Learning Objectives: Learning Objective

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to
• Identify the environmental limits to healthy eating and physical activity in a defined community.
• Recognize the importance of food outlets and physical activity access in developing a community nutrition education intervention.

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.

Nutrition, Physical Activity and Chronic Disease

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA