Barriers to Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Children as Perceived by Low-Income Parents: A Case Study

During the past three decades the prevalence of childhood obesity has steadily increased in the United States. Causes of childhood obesity are complex and include numerous individual and environmental factors. The purpose of this study was to determine parent perceptions on the social-ecological barriers (community, school, and family) to physical activity and healthy eating, perceived specific to their children. Self-reported data gathered from a 50-item questionnaire and six focus groups were conducted with parents (n=43) enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. Participants (16 to 67 years old) were predominately female (88.4%), Hispanic (67%), low income, and living in or near Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, CA. The social-ecological model (family, school, and community) was utilized to create focus group questions and provide recommendations as part of the Lompoc Community Health Improvement Project (2006-to-the-present). Popular community barriers for physical activity were: disconnected sidewalks, lack of safe bike routes to school, lack of recreational programming at an affordable cost, and language barriers (lack of marketing physical activity programs in Spanish). Two safety barriers involved parks; fear of injury (dilapidated equipment) and fear of gangs (violence). Common school barriers were: teachers do not lead-by-example, lack of healthy food in school cafeteria, and insufficient time for children to purchase food and eat. Family barriers included: grandparents sabotaging healthy eating environments (e.g., spoilingchildren), insufficient nutrition knowledge (both children and parents), and economics (not being able to afford healthy food and a recreation/gym membership)

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Hispanic Preschool Children in San Luis Obispo County, California

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obese (OW/OB) preschool children in San Luis Obispo County. Preschool children ages 3-5 years were measured for height and weight in 2006 (n = 482) and in 2009/10 combined (n = 559). The CDC BMI calculator for ages 2-20 was used to determine BMI classification. In 2006, 26.4% were OW/OB and by 2009/10, 34.8% were OW/OB. Rates were similar among boys and girls (p = 0.70) and increased significantly over time (p = 0.0070). Caucasian and Hispanic children had similar OW/OB rates in 2006, but by 2009/10 the Hispanic children were 2.7 times more likely to be obese (CI: 1.68, 4.57). Because Hispanic children were more likely to attend Head Start or California State preschools versus private preschools (78.0%, 81.0% and 7.4% respectively), it appears Head Start and California State preschools would be a likely place for interventions directed to meet the needs of Hispanic preschoolers, and may serve to reverse the trend in childhood obesity and address the disparity in weight status among Hispanic preschool aged children

Store-directed price promotions and communications strategies improve healthier food supply and demand: impact results from a randomized controlled, Baltimore City store-intervention trial

Abstract Objective Small food store interventions show promise to increase healthy food access in under-resourced areas. However, none have tested the impact of price discounts on healthy food supply and demand. We tested the impact of store-directed price discounts and communications strategies, separately and combined, on the stocking, sales and prices of healthier foods and on storeowner psychosocial factors. Design Factorial design randomized controlled trial. Setting Twenty-four corner stores in low-income neighbourhoods of Baltimore City, MD, USA. Subjects Stores were randomized to pricing intervention, communications intervention, combined pricing and communications intervention, or control. Stores that received the pricing intervention were given a 10–30 % price discount by wholesalers on selected healthier food items during the 6-month trial. Communications stores received visual and interactive materials to promote healthy items, including signage, taste tests and refrigerators. Results All interventions showed significantly increased stock of promoted foods v . control. There was a significant treatment effect for daily unit sales of healthy snacks ( β =6·4, 95 % CI 0·9, 11·9) and prices of healthy staple foods ( β =–0·49, 95 % CI –0·90, –0·03) for the combined group v . control, but not for other intervention groups. There were no significant intervention effects on storeowner psychosocial factors. Conclusions All interventions led to increased stock of healthier foods. The combined intervention was effective in increasing sales of healthier snacks, even though discounts on snacks were not passed to the consumer. Experimental research in small stores is needed to understand the mechanisms by which store-directed price promotions can increase healthy food supply and demand

The Effects of a Combined Supplementation of Creatine and Sodium Bicarbonate on Repeated Sprint Performance

Abstract The Effects of a Combined Supplementation of Creatine and Sodium Bicarbonate on Repeated Sprint Performance James Jeremy Barber There is well-established research that suggests both creatine and sodium bicarbonate are effective ergogenic aids. However, only one published study has examined the combined effects of creatine and sodium bicarbonate. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a combined supplementation of creatine monohydrate and sodium bicarbonate would further enhance the well-documented effects of creatine supplementation alone on repeated sprint performance. Thirteen healthy and fit males (Mean age = 21.15 ± 0.65 years and mean VO2 max = 66.72 ± 5.78) participated in this experimental study using a double-blinded crossover study design in which each subject was used as his own control. All subjects completed 3 conditions, followed by a 3-week washout period between each condition: 1) Placebo (Pl; 5 g maltodextrin + 0.5 g/kg maltodextrin), 2) Creatine (Cr; 5 g + 0.5 g/kg maltodextrin), and 3) Creatine plus sodium bicarbonate (Cr+Sb; 5g + 0.5 g/kg sodium bicarbonate). Each condition was a 2-day supplementation. In the morning after each supplementation, peak power, RPP, mean power, RMP, fatigue index, and perceptions of fatigue and GI distress were assessed during six 10-second repeated Wingate tests. Blood bicarbonate, pH, and lactate were measured 5 minutes before testing and immediately after the last Wingate sprint. The main findings were; 1) Cr+Sb produced 7% greater relative peak power and 4.6% greater peak power values than placebo, and 2) Cr+Sb demonstrated the greatest attenuation of decline in relative peak power over six repeated sprints. However, in contrast to our hypotheses, no benefits from either supplementation were observed for relative mean power, fatigue index, and perception of fatigue. Considering that this current study found benefits from combining creatine and sodium bicarbonate, it suggests that combining the supplements may improve repeated sprint performance. Future research on a greater sample size, a specific athletic population, various exercise modes, and comparing results with a sodium bicarbonate alone supplementation would be beneficial in determining if this combined supplementation is worthwhile

Exercise Prescription and the Patient with Type 2 Diabetes: A Clinical Approach to Optimizing Patient Outcomes

To review the current recommendations for physical activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and propose methods to optimize compliance, reduce the pharmaceutical burden, and improve the general health and well-being of patients with T2DM

More Foot, Less Fork

Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are modifiable risk factors to numerous chronic diseases and conditions such as obesity, depression, heart failure, and lower back pain. Integrating physical activity (PA) and exercise strategies into patient consultations for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases is the epitome of the global health initiative, Exercise Is Medicine. Nutrition and health professionals can play an important role in this growing movement of increasing PA by documenting PA assessment, incorporating PA in patient counseling, prescribing tailored exercise prescriptions, and including resource referrals at each clinical visit. This article presents a brief background of PA, exercise, and sedentary behavior research and application strategies targeting health outcomes and illustrates why and how nutrition and health professionals play a role in Exercise Is Medicine to support increased PA in patient populations

The Development and Pilot of a Culinary Intervention Designed Using the Social Cognitive Theory to Teach Nutrition to Adolescent Girls

Due to the trend of decreased traditional cooking skills, this study investigated the effectiveness of practical cooking classes on diet quality to reduce the prevalence of obesity in adolescent girls

Barriers to Physical Activity and Healthy Eating As Perceived by Parents in Lompoc: Focus Group Results

Dear members of the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, Community Health for Lompoc Valley Community Health Center, Lompoc Valley Partners and Lompoc Valley Healthy Kids Initiative, On behalf of Cal Poly’s emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (COPE), I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to Dr. Steve McDowell and Ms. Judy Taggart for inviting our research team to partner with your community in this exciting project. It is clear to our research team that the community health agencies have invested a tremendous amount of time, energy and money in planning and implementing changes designed to improve the health of children and families in Lompoc. By actively seeking input from the recipients of the Lompoc region medical and educational services and by conducting focus groups on the topic of food, physical activity and current family practices, we have a better understanding of the fundamental beliefs and perceptions of your clients. Unlike questionnaires, the qualitative data generated by focus groups provides information not only on what they do, but why they do it. Also, participating in the focus group sessions, it was clear that your clients felt a sense of value, pride and investment in helping their community. It was a very empowering and enlightening experience for all of us. The following report includes a summary of our procedures, questionnaires and forms, and participants. Data generated from the transcripts have been carefully reviewed and analyzed by four researchers, then synthesized into this final report. Over one hundred sixty-five hours were required for the analysis and report phases alone. We encourage you to examine the information contained in this report with a positive perspective. For example, we are aware that many changes in Lompoc were already in the works (such as park improvements), but weak communication lines left the community members unaware of the level of commitment by the city and health agencies and of the forward progress that was occurring. Language posed a problem for non-English speakers. And participants reported not reading the newspaper, but relying on the TV. Recognizing this cluster of facts then enables your agencies to develop an effective communication campaign to resolve the issue. Later, when unveiling new programs or playgrounds, you now have an opportunity to give credit to the community members who invested their time and expressed their concerns/wishes, thereby empowering and rewarding those clients. Utilizing the information contained in this report will enable your Healthy Kids Initiative members to better understand perceived barriers. More importantly, you will be able to identify opportunities and strategies that address these perceptions in terms that are meaningful to your clients. Targeting your audience members through specific messages, approaches, and services will allow you to increase the likelihood of success. We hope that your actions will set precedence for the central coast region and inspire other agencies to become familiar with qualitative research methods when problem solving. If we can be of further assistance in addressing the solutions, please do not hesitate to call. At Cal Poly, besides further developing our qualitative research team, we are strengthening our educational program capabilities for developing targeted nutrition and physical activity interventions, and have hired a new education technology specialist for film, media, and public service announcement campaigns and outreach. On behalf of our entire research team, we wish you continued success on your quest for improved and responsive health for the Lompoc community. And in the future, we hope opportunities to collaborate continue on a regular basis. Should you have any questions after reading the report, or wish to further discuss a topic, please do not hesitate to contact me. Also, I would be happy to present a PowerPoint presentation of the report findings to your staff or community members. Sincerely, Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, MS, LDN Director, the emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education Associate Professor, Kinesiology Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 Office: 805-756-6447 Cell: 617-869-3878 [email protected]