271059 Spring Training: Obesity prevention intervention for adolescent males

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Lydia Guzman, MPH, RD , San Mateo County Health System, San Mateo, CA
Issac DeMoss , San Mateo County Health System, San Mateo
Adolescent boys' obesity rate is increasing at a greater rate than other segments of the population. Nevertheless, few prevention programs have been developed specifically to meet the concerns and educational needs of teen boys.

Method: Adolescent boys generally have short attention spans, are more visual, read less, and are more likely to respond to highly interactive educational activities with a competitive aspect. We developed lesson plans taking these factors into consideration, as well as the results of our focus groups that indicated the teens being concern about reaching their full growth potential, increasing muscle development, increasing athletic abilities, skin problems and being overweight. The program includes food demos, physical activity, fun interactive educational activities and the development of individual action plans. These activities are designed to help adolescent boys begin the process of changing eating habits and becoming more active. Participants learn how small changes, like drinking water instead of soft drink or sport drinks can make a significant difference. Life-size paper teen models of different heights and weights are used to demonstrate the relationship between nutrition and their growth potential.

Results: Participants indicated recognizing the impact and the relationship of diet to their growth and development; they reported making better dietary choices at four-week follow-up. Physical appearance and their strong desire to grow to their full potential was the number one factor influencing their decision to make healthier choices.

Conclusion: Tailoring program to meet adolescent needs and concern generated the interest and motivation needed to encourage healthy behavior change.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1) Design an obesity prevention program for young adolescent males. 2) Idenify three factors to take into consideration when designing a nutrition education program for adolescent males 3) List three factors that will motivate adolescent males towards a healthy lifestyle

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I created the "Spring Training" progam for young adolescent males in order to reach the special needs of this population. We have been conducting this progam for over six years in diverse communities with great success. I have a masters in public health and I'm also registered dietitian with many years experience working in nutrition education. I have also created an obesity prevention program for adolescent females that has received national recognition.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.