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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Glenda P. Avery, PhD, RN¹, Bernita Hamilton, PhD, RN¹, Catherine Russell, PhD, RN¹, Teresa Johnson, MACT, RD¹, and Terry Watkins, BSN, RN². (1) School of Nursing, Troy University, One University Place, Phenix City, AL 36869, 334-448-5153, gavery@troy.edu, (2) AIM Project, 1330 Highway 231 South, Troy, AL 36081

Obesity is currently considered a national epidemic with the South leading in the statistics. A Rural Health Outreach Grant, Healthy Schools Healthy Kids, was awarded to a South Alabama Agency in 2000. Multiple community partners worked collaboratively to address health risk needs of children in one rural county. The effort produced positive outcomes and expanded in 2005 to include another county. The evaluation of the initial assessment data collected from Phase I identified health risk behaviors related to nutrition and physical exercise in children. This assessment correlates to two of the leading Healthy People 2010 indicators that need to be measured. The program also expanded to include a research component led by community health nurse educators from a local university. The researchers targeted 3rd-5th grade elementary students and are currently implementing a three-year program related to nutrition and physical activity in local schools. The program builds on CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health), an established program that has shown that children can be taught to practice healthy behaviors in the school setting. A collaborative effort with a local child health agency, the school systems, parents, university researchers and students is being made to implement the program. Research results will be disseminated in the next few years. The plan is to expand this initial endeavor to include more rural counties and add data that can be used in current state and national policy. A model that can be used especially in Southern Schools is the ultimate goal.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the components of community partnering needed to establish a program to address health risk behaviors of children.
• Define the steps needed to incorporate an established children's health program into a local community initiative.
• Discuss a research approach that could be used to shape health policy on a local and state level.

Keywords: Obesity, Child Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: CATCH program (Coordinated Approach to Child Health), started at Univ. of Texas. Our grant purchased the program to be used in the schools.

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