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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

B. J. Carter, MS¹, Amanda S. Birnbaum, PhD, MPH², Lisa Hark, PhD, RD³, Charles Potter, BM¹, and Michael P. Osborne, MD¹. (1) Preventive Medicine Institute, Strang Cancer Prevention Center, 428 East 72nd Street, New York, NY 10021, (2) Department of Health & Nutrition Sciences, Montclair State University, University Hall, 4th Floor, Montclair, NJ 07043, 973-655-7115, birnbauma@mail.montclair.edu, (3) Nutrition Education & Prevention Program, University of Pennsylvania, 3450 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Healthy Children Healthy Futures (HCHF) is an after-school initiative promoting healthy eating and physical activity for children ages 10-14 and their families in U.S. urban centers. The goal is to create a replicable program for underrepresented minority youth to become advocates for healthful eating and physical activity (PA) through schools, families, and communities. HCHF is implemented through 12-20 after-school sessions focusing on “8 Habits of Healthy Kids” (e.g., spend 1+ hour a day being active, <2 hours screen time, eat smaller portions). Early in the program children are taught the 8 Habits and behavioral skills to achieve them. Then, using the 8 Habits as specific behavioral targets, they design media messages including animated video spots and print messages, giving them a voice and process for advocacy. HCHF was pilot-tested in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City with 380 ethnically diverse children. Analysis of pre-post surveys indicated significant knowledge improvements for PA, fruits and vegetables, and TV viewing, and borderline significant improvements for portion size. To further embed the “8 Habits” message in communities, HCHF launched a parent component, training 115 parent advocates in the 3 cities to mentor other parents on healthy eating and increasing PA for the family. Analysis of pre-post surveys indicated significant increases in fruit consumption, non-work PA, and healthy eating knowledge. The HCHF model is continuing to be developed and extended to other cities, and has the potential to create healthier families while also encouraging advocacy in populations whose voices are often underrepresented.

Learning Objectives: After attending this session, participants will be able to

• describe the need for community-based advocacy for healthy eating and physical activity,
• list the behavioral targets of a child and parent program to promote healthy eating and physical activity through media messaging,
• explain how training in behavioral skills along with media messaging and outreach/advocacy can affect knowledge and behavior.

Keywords: Child/Adolescent, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No