Follow up to mobilizing community based organizations to address obesity: Our Communities, Our Solutions in 2010

Purpose: To explore existing thought patterns and lived experiences about eating habits and daily activity of African American (AA) children at risk for childhood obesity, acquire an in-depth explanation of participants' attitudes and norms towards factors related to childhood obesity and explore rationales for differences between children and parental perspectives of ideal health.

Method: Using a Community Based Participatory Research (CPBR) framework, the HAUL team facilitated 10 focus groups with children and 10 with their parents, and all were community members accessing HAUL services.

Results: At the time of submission, 6 focus groups have been completed (28 participants, 14 children, 14 adults). The primary themes identifying differences in responses of parents and children address proximity of access to healthy food choices, food type consumed by children regularly, and children's preference for fast food versus home cooked meals. These themes will guide the development of the “UT-HAUL Healthy Houston Initiative”, a pilot program seeking to increase healthy decision making and access to wellness services among AAs.

Conclusions: “UT-HAUL Healthy Houston Initiative” is the initial course of action in addressing societal factors, renowned for breeding social injustice commonplace in AA populations. The evidence confirms a ‘disconnect' between parental versus children's perspectives regarding childhood obesity predictors; thus, interventions must address this fact. Our goal is to expand the Urban League movement's efficacy by identifying data that will combat the influence of childhood obesity risk factors, while strengthening the core of the communities we serve.