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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Michele Polacsek, PhD, MHS¹, Karen O'Rourke, MPH¹, Emily Rines, MPH, CHES², and Krystal Say, BA³. (1) Maine Harvard Prevention Research Center, Maine Center for Public Health, 12 Church Street, Augusta, ME 04330, 207 629-9272, mpolacsek@mcph.org, (2) University Health Care, University of New England, 655 Main St. - 1st Floor, Saco, ME 04072, (3) University of Southern Maine, P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104

The Maine Harvard Prevention Research Center partnered with the York County Head Start (in Maine) to develop a staff focused pilot program to improve physical activity and nutrition behavior for the Maine York County Head Start center staff and families that may be replicated and disseminated more widely after an initial pilot phase. We engaged in participatory formative research to elucidate opportunities for physical activity and nutrition (PAN) improvements with staff from 8 centers in the county, including 167 families. Our centers also included an early Head Start initiative. We met frequently with Head Start staff to develop the research design as well as staff and parent surveys and focus groups. Staff surveys were designed to measure staff knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, skills, and practices around PAN as well as staff receptivity and comfort in addressing PAN with client families. Head Start Staff were also surveyed around Head Start center policies dealing with PAN. Head Start parents were surveyed on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices surrounding PAN as well as their receptivity to having Head Start staff address PAN issues with them. Parent focus groups were also held in order to explore potential barriers around PAN behavior change as well contact with Head Start staff around these issues. An intervention was designed to address center policies for the benefit of staff, children and families, based on opportunities for improvement these formative data provided.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn why the Head Start setting may be ideal for promoting lifelong healthy behavior
• Participants will become familiar with the formative research goals and tools used to understand opportunities for physical activity and nutrition improvement at Maine York County Head Start centers.
• Participants will learn how the formative research completed influenced the design of an intervention for Head Start staff and families in York County, Maine.

Keywords: Obesity, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation