142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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A Needs Assessment of Children's Physical Activity Opportunities in Rural West Virginia: The McDowell CHOICES Planning Effort

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Alfgeir Kristjansson, PhD , School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Eloise Elliott, PhD , College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Sean Bulger, Ed.D , College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences,, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Emily Jones, PhD , College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Andrea Taliaferro, PhD , West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
William Neal, MD , Pediatrics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Background: McDowell CHOICES (Coordinated Health Opportunities Involving Communities, Environments, and Schools) is a county wide endeavor aimed at increasing opportunities for physical activity (PA) for children in McDowell County, WV. A comprehensive community needs-assessment was conducted.

Methods: A mixed methods approach was used that included; two Town Hall Meetings (THM) with citizens (n=80); a student PA interest survey (OPAIS) (n=465); student PA and nutrition survey (SPANS) (n=438) school site visits (n=11), and six focus groups with school and community personnel (n=44).

Results:

THM results show that both formal and informal opportunities for physical activity are needed in McDowell County. Over 90% of respondents in OPAIS would participate in more physical activities if made available. Nearly 52% of respondents in SPANS did not recognize the nationally recommended daily minimum of PA and 29% reported being active for at least 60 minutes daily during the past week. School site visits revealed strengths and weaknesses for implementing a comprehensive program of 60 minutes of PA opportunities each day.  Focus groups highlighted reasons for lack of opportunities such as the geographic size of McDowell county, travel conditions, poor indoor facilities and lack of access to available facilities (e.g. schools), outside spaces needing renovation, and promotion of existing activities. Structural factors included poverty, prevalent drug-abuse, and multi-generational families.

Conclusion: Physical activity opportunities in rural WV are lacking. Utilizing existing infrastructure such as schools, renovation of parks and other outdoor spaces, as well as training of local personnel and addressing funding issues, are suggestions for improvement.

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the methodological approach and discuss results of a comprehensive needs assessment concerning children's physical activity opportunities in McDowell County, West Virginia

Keyword(s): Children and Adolescents, Needs Assessment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am trained in the social and behavioral public health sciences and have over 10 years of experience in the design, implementation and delivery of community engaged research projects such as the one described in this abstract. I have furthermore given many presentations of related nature over the last few years.
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.

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