142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Starting the Conversation – A Childhood Obesity Knowledge Project using an App

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Hoa Appel, PhD, MPH , JJ Frank, North County YMCA, Marysville, WA
Bu Huang, PhD , Bastyr Research Institute, Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA
Allison M. Cole, MD, MPH , Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Rosalina James, PhD , Department of Bioethics and Humanities, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Amy Ai, PhD , Psychology, Social Work, Family Medicine, and Nursing, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Significance:  The increasing occurrence of pediatric obesity is a major public health concern.

Purpose:  Starting the Conversation was a pilot project to test an intervention for childhood obesity using a free smartphone application (app). The primary aim was to assess students’ knowledge of nutritional indicators, physical exercise and use of screen time before and after the intervention.

Methods:  The study was conducted in 2011-2012. The sample contained 65.3% minority participants, recruited from seven high schools in Snohomish County, Washington. Of the 118 participants in the sample (n=118), 79 handwrote their responses and 36 responded via the app. We compared the frequency and types of physical exercise, frequency of screen time, and nutritional variables among high school students.

Results:  Participants who used the app ate less fast food and exercised more, as compared with those who recorded their entries by hand. Screen time usage decreased post-test. Knowledge of recommended daily consumption of vegetables increased post-test in the app group and knowledge of water consumption increased significantly in both groups. There was no significant difference in BMI pre and post-test.

Conclusions:  Patterns of nutritional intake, physical exercise, and knowledge of these issues varied pre and post-test. It is critical to further examine factors associated with a lack of physical activity and the food intake patterns of youths, using social media to further address the childhood obesity epidemic. Future research should focus on specific ethnic subgroups and an intervention at the school level aimed at the students with BMI ≥ 95th percentile.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Explain the differences in the sample between those who used the app and those who used handwritten logs. Identify whether eating school lunches contribute to childhood obesity among minority high school students. Discuss four reasons why disparities in childhood obesity exist in minority populations in the U.S. Compare the differences and similarities in physical health and nutritional intake among minority youths in the U.S.

Keyword(s): Obesity, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the principal investigator on this study
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.

Back to: 3061.0: Keeping Children and Youth on the Move