Building a brighter tomorrow: Stakeholders and dreambuilders in partnership with urban youth

The wellbeing of the nation tomorrow is determined by the health of the youth today. In an urban area in southeastern Pennsylvania, the successful transition of adolescents to young adulthood is in crisis. This also holds true in other large urban areas across the globe. A review of the literature indicates that self-esteem and parental guidance are major factors that impact on adolescent successful transition to adulthood. Additionally, leading health indicators in Healthy People 2010 includes overweight and obesity as contributors to poor health outcomes in Americans of all ages. It is well documented that overweight and obesity contribute to low self-esteem. One consequence of being overweight is the social discrimination that children and adolescents perceive. One challenge for public health professionals is integrating programmatic activities with parental involvement. This poster describes an innovative initiative, BodyWorks, that was implemented by a graduate public health nursing student in an urban setting in southeastern Pennsylvania. Developed by the Office of Women's Health, United States Department of Health and Human Services, BodyWorks addresses the issue of self esteem by promoting both nutritional health and a positive body image. The BodyWorks program follows years of formative research. Program participants were African American mothers, caregivers, and adolescent daughters or family members nine to thirteen years of age. This ten-week program utilizes a strategy of interactive classes that focus on nutrition and self-esteem, journaling, along with home assignments that include shopping and meal preparation. Ten 90-minute sessions utilize the mother as a role model and encourages interaction between mother-daughter dyads. This poster highlights the BodyWorks initiative outreach strategies, outcomes, and future recommendations for replication strategies by other public health nurses in all geographic settings.