Examining PLAY to increase levels of physical activity among youth during leisure time

Physical activity has a number of benefits for people of all ages. For children and youth, regular physical activity improves health and well-being, including attention and academic performance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that youth between the ages of 6 to 17 years participate daily in at least 60 minutes of physical activity. One of the Healthy People 2020 objectives is to increase the proportion of youth meeting the federal physical activity guidelines. The present study examined the effects of providing opportunities for youth to engage in preferred types of physical activities on levels of participation in physical activity during leisure-time. Study participants were youth ages 6 to 13, who resided in a low-income housing complex and participated in an after-school program. The Assessment of Preferred Leisure Alternatives for Youth (A-PLAY), a web-based preference assessment tool, was used to identify activities that were highly preferred by the youth. A reversal design using momentary time sampling was used to examine whether access to highly preferred activities increased the percentage of youth engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Results suggest an increase in participation in physical activities occurred from baseline to intervention phases. The results have implications for examining the efficacy of using online preference assessments to inform interventions that may be used to increase youth physical activity in community-based settings

Marketing a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul: An Analysis of How African American Men View the Church as a Social Marketer and Health Promoter of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks colorectal cancer (CRC) as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States; African American (AA) men are at even greater risk. The present study was from a larger study that investigates the church's role as a social marketer of CRC risk and prevention messages, and whether religiously targeted and tailored health promotion materials will influence screening outcome. We used an integrated theoretical approach to explore participants' perceptions of CRC risk and prevention and how promotion messages should be developed and socially marketed by the church. Six focus groups were conducted with men from predominately AA churches in the Midwest. Themes from focus group discussions showed participants lacked knowledge about CRC, feared cancer diagnosis, and feared the procedure for screening. Roles of masculinity and the mistrust of physicians were also emergent themes. Participants did perceive the church as a trusted marketer of CRC but believed that promotional materials should be cosponsored and codeveloped by reputable health organizations. Employing the church as a social marketer of CRC screening promotion materials may be useful in guiding health promotions and addressing barriers that are distinct among African American men

Actively Addressing Systemic Racism Using a Behavioral Community Approach

Recent police brutality and related violence against Black people, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, has further evidenced the disproportionate impact of systemic racism in our institutions and across society. In the United States, the alarming mortality rates for Black people due to police violence and COVID-19 related deaths are clear demonstrations of inequities within a long history of disparate outcomes. In understanding systemic racism, it is essential to consider how it is embedded within society and across socio-ecological levels. The Social-Ecological Model (SEM) is used to examine conditions within the environment that maintain systemic racism, including within our field and discipline. A behavioral-community approach for examining racism aids in determining points of intervention across multiple ecological levels that may contribute to behavior change, including with behaviorists. The science of behavior is well-suited to help examine the contingencies governing behaviors within and across systems, which is pivotal for addressing operant behaviors to influence long-term behavior change. This paper calls on the behavioral community to address systemic racism within our environments and systems of influence to contribute to a more equitable community. Systemic racism, including within the context of anti-Blackness, is examined by considering behavior change strategies that can be supported by behaviorists across socio-ecological levels. Tools for collaborative action are provided to support behaviorists in demonstrating the skills needed across a continuum of behaviors from allyship to anti-racism to actively address systemic racism

Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for Equity (ThrYve): Examining the Development of a Comprehensive Multisectoral Approach to Youth Violence Prevention

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Watson-Thompson, J., Jessop, N., Hassaballa, I., Vanchy, P., Henderson, J., & Moore, C. (2020). Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for Equity (ThrYve): Examining the development of a comprehensive multisectoral approach to youth violence prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12449. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.Comprehensive approaches to youth violence prevention are needed to simultaneously address multiple risk factors across socioecological levels. ThrYve (Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for Equity) is a collaborative initiative focused on addressing broader factors influencing youth violence, including social determinants of health. Using a participatory approach, the development of ThrYve is examined through an empirical case study. Through a Systems Advisory Board (SAB), ThrYve deploys multiple strategies that support cross‐sector collaboration involving over 40 partners across 13 community sectors. Based on the Institute of Medicine’s model for public health action in communities, the SAB identified 87 change levers (i.e., program, policy, practice changes) to support community and systems‐level improvements. As a result of the collaborative process, in the first couple of years, ThrYve facilitated 85 community actions and changes across sectors. The changes aligned with identified risk and resilience needs of the youth served in the community. The findings further support prior research, which suggests disparities related to gender may influence risk and resilience factors for youth violence. The study also indicates the importance of continuing to examine academic performance as a factor related to youth resilience.Office of Minority Health (OMH), Health and Human Services. Grant Number: YEPMP17009