Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Camp NEW (Nutrition, Education, Wellness) You is an innovative, year-long program that was designed to help obese adolescents and their families develop healthier lifestyle patterns through education and motivation in a group setting. The program consisted of a two-week summer residency program with a variety of educational sessions for children and their parents; developmentally appropriate activities; groups counseling; enrichment activities; and a structured, 12-month follow-up intervention designed to provide continued support for families as they make the targeted behavior changes a part of their lifestyles. The initial, 2-week camp was held in June of 2008. Campers arrived on a Sunday with their parents. After an orientation session the parents left and the campers began getting acquainted. During the week that followed, a typical day included fitness activities, educational sessions, nutrition tips and healthy snacks, chat groups, and a fun recreation or enrichment activity. Parents were invited back to the campus on the middle and last weekend for family physical activities, a family meal, educational sessions, and small group chats. Nutrition education was provided in a variety of ways. There were six formal nutrition lessons during the two weeks. These were planned and delivered by Dietetic Interns from the Human Nutrition and Foods graduate program at WVU. They included lessons on label reading, portion sizes, the Idaho Plate Method, and nutrient content. The campers reported to the Foods Lab for a morning snack and a short nutrition lesson related to the snack. The snacks that were provided were planned to be nutrient dense and easy so that the children could make them at home. They completed computer-based, interactive nutrition lessons. During the middle weekend of camp, the interns lead the campers in a grocery store tour and shopping trip for food to prepare a healthy dinner for their parents. The children planned the dinner and chose the recipes with guidance from the interns and camp counselors. The camp counselors monitored the cafeteria selections of the children in their group and modeled healthy behaviors while the children were in their care. Children and their parents participated in three follow-up weekends at different locations. The weekends included social time for campers and their parents to reunite and share with each other, family physical activities, family meals, and group discussions for parents and campers. The second cohort of campers began their year-long program in July of 2009 and have participated in one follow-up weekend with two more scheduled for spring and summer of 2010. PARTICIPANTS: This was a multidisciplinary project that included WVU faculty with expertise in medicine (pediatrics), exercise science, psychology, public health, and nutrition. They represented Concord College, the WVU School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, the CARDIAC project, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, the Extension Service and the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. Additional funding for this project was provided by a variety of sources. The Benedum Foundation, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and the Bureau for Public Health provided grants. Third party insurance providers covered expenses for their clients. In-kind contributions were made by home units of the collaborators. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for this project were obese adolescents and their families. All were from West Virginia and represented all levels of socio-economic status. Twenty-one of the teens were Caucasian and the remainder were African-American, a proportion which reflects the racial make-up of the state. The efforts included formal classroom instruction and experiential learning activities for adolescents and their parents and self-directed computer-based instruction for the children. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Of 23 campers enrolled in the first cohort, 13 completed all four required sessions. There was a significant decrease in BMI percentile from the first camp to the final follow-up weekend (98.4 to 96.4, p<0.01). There were significant improvements in serum insulin levels and insulin sensitivity between the initial values and the first year follow-up. These are positive trends that show a decrease in risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus after a year-long intervention. There were no significant changes in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or triglycerides. Tests of overall knowledge and physical activity knowledge showed a significant increase from the initial assessment to the first follow-up period but then dropped back to baseline at one year. Tests of nutritional knowledge showed a similar pattern, but the increase from baseline did not reach statistical significance. These results prompted a change in educational methods to provide more consistency in the messages across the educational periods for the new cohort of campers. Questionnaires on attitudes and behaviors showed consistent improvement from baseline to the final follow-up session. The children identified their parents as the most influential people in their lives who want them to adopt healthier habits. A majority of the children expressed the belief that they had the ability to change their behaviors. On the parent proxy report of the home environment, parents reported improvements in a number of areas. Most of the behavior changes involved changes in the nutritional environment, including making healthy snacks available and reading nutrition labels, among others. In semi-structured interviews, parents and children indicated that their expectations for the program were met or exceeded in almost every area. Children noted a continued need to increase their physical activity level and parents noted a need to lose weight and improve health indicators. Both groups attributed positive changes to the things that they learned from the program. Participants mentioned improvements in portion control, eating meals as a family, trying new things, and setting physical activity goals. They noted that barriers were outside influences, lack of time, and lack of physical activity at school. Overall, this program had a positive impact on the campers and their families. It led to changes in lifestyle that will support better health and lower the risk for chronic disease. The process evaluation led to some changes in educational methods for the program that began this year. The program has had a statewide impact. Funding from the major insurance carriers has continued for the next group of children and their families. Marshall University has joined with WVU to offer the program on their campus (summer of 2010).
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that 13% of 9th to 12th grade students in the United States are obese. In West Virginia, the rate of obesity in this age group is nearly 15%. Obesity during adolescence often tracks into adulthood and leads to an increased risk of obesity-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Obesity has proven difficult to treat; it requires an interdisciplinary approach that includes the family. Camp NEW You is a year-long program to help obese adolescents and their families develop healthier lifestyle patterns through education and motivation in a group setting. Outputs included providing a healthy camping environment for a group of obese children aged 11 to 14 years; experiential learning activities in nutrition, food preparation, physical activities, self-monitoring, and goal setting in a group setting and involving their parents in learning activities and goal setting. The concept for the camp has been disseminated to interested faculty at Marshall University in WV. They will be offering a similar camp in 2010. PARTICIPANTS: This was a multidisciplinary project that included WVU faculty with expertise in medicine (pediatrics), exercise science, psychology, public health, and nutrition. They represented Concord College, the WVU School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, the CARDIAC project, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, the Extension Service and the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences. Two graduate students in nutrition and two in exercise science received extensive training and four other nutrition graduate students received some training. for TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audiences for this project were 24 obese adolescents and their families. All were from West Virginia and represented all levels of socio-economic status. Twenty-two (92%) of the teens were Caucasian and the remainder were African-American, a proportion which reflects the racial make-up of the state. The efforts included formal classroom instruction and experiential learning activities for adolescents and their parents and self-directed computer-based instruction for the children. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This project was a new addition to WVA00445.
Impacts
Participants came to the WVU campus for a two-week stay during the summer of 2008. During those two weeks, they participated in learning activities related to food choices and preparation, physical activities for one or two persons, goal setting, and self-monitoring. Parents of the participants learned to assess their food and nutrition environment and to support their children. Baseline data were collected on dietary intake, degree of physical fitness, readiness for change, and physiological markers of risk. After the camp, counselors contacted the participants and their parents on a weekly basis for help with motivation and problem-solving. During October of 2008, participants and parents came to a follow-up weekend at a state park and additional follow-up weekends are planned in March and June of 2009.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Information from this project was shared with three groups of Head Start administrators and teachers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland (approximately 300 people). It was presented in Pediatric Grand Rounds at the WVU School of Medicine. The on-site audience was approximately 30 physicians, medical students, and nurses. The presentation simultaneously was broadcast to other pediatricians in remote areas of the state. Information was also shared with one parent group (about 15 people) in Morgantown.
PARTICIPANTS: During this reporting period the PI is the only individual who worked on this project. The PI continued to disseminate key findings from the project and used findings from the project as preliminary data to submit a new grant proposal.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Information from this project is included in a college-level course on maternal and child nutrition. The target audience is college students who are majoring in nutrition, child development, or public health. The effort is designed to increase their knowledge of factors that influence obesity in children and ways to improve the nutritional status of children.
Impacts
This project contributed to a change in knowledge about the prevalence of overweight preschool children in West Virginia.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
National surveys have indicated that the percentage of overweight children doubles between the ages of three and five years. Early childhood is an ideal time to prevent the development of obesity and foster the development of lifestyle patterns that promote optimal health. Preschool aged children were recruited from Head Start programs, preschools, churches and community groups. Recruitment and data collection was carried out by Extension personnel in the counties. Children were weighed on an electronic scale to the nearest half pound and were measured on a portable stadiometer to the nearest half inch. BMI was calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI calculator and BMI percentiles were determined using published growth charts. Children were categorized into three groups, healthy weight, at risk for overweight, and overweight based on BMI percentiles on CDC growth charts. Two-hundred one preschool children from two rural counties were
enrolled in this project. They ranged in age from 25.5 months to 71.8 months. About 11 percent of the children were African American with the remainder Caucasian. Thirty-eight (19%) of the children were overweight and another 30 (15%) were at risk for overweight. There were no differences in age or ethnicity among children in each group. Boys were more likely to be overweight compared to girls, while girls were more likely to be at risk for overweight compared to boys. Mother's BMI was significantly related to boys and girls BMI percentile (p<0.05), while dad's BMI was related only to the girls BMI percentile. Dad's educational level was significantly related to boys' BMI percentile (p<0.05), but not to girls'. There were no other familial factors that were significantly related to BMI percentile in this group of preschool children. Future analysis will look at mother's attitudes about her weight and her child's weight. Data from this study will be used by the Extension Service to
inform their on-going nutrition education activities. It will be used to design one or more culturally competent interventions that can be tested for their impact on weight and weight change. It will be used by local schools, community organizations, and policy makers to define the scope of the obesity problem among preschool aged children in this area of West Virginia.
Impacts
This project documents the body mass index of a group of preschool children in two counties in rural West Virginia. It provides evidence that the problems of overweight begin in early childhood and will identify factors that are associated with overweight and risk for overweight in this group of children.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
The first project among preschool children was completed this fall and data are being analyzed. This project was designed to identify environmental and familial factors that are associated with body mass index (BMI) of preschool aged children in two counties in rural West Virginia. Data were collected over the past year and are being analyzed at this time. Preschool aged children were recruited from Head Start programs, preschools, churches and community groups. Recruitment and data collection were carried out by Extension personnel in the counties. Children were weighed on an electronic scale to the nearest half pound and were measured on a portable stadiometer to the nearest half inch. BMI was calculated using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI calculator and BMI percentiles were determined using published growth charts. Children with BMI equal to or greater than the 85th percentile but less than the 95th percentile were considered at risk for
overweight and those with BMI equal to or greater than the 95th percentile were considered overweight. Two-hundred one preschool children from two rural counties were enrolled in this project. They ranged in age from 25.5 months to 71.8 months. About 11 percent of the children were African American with the remainder Caucasian. Thirty-eight (19%) of the children were overweight and another 30 (15%) were at risk for overweight. Factors that will be analyzed for their associations with BMI will be mothers BMI, fathers BMI, mothers nutrition knowledge, food security, number of hours that parents work per week, parents education level, and the presence of a television in the childs bedroom. Data from this study will be used by the Extension Service to inform their on-going nutrition education activities. It will be used to design one or more culturally competent interventions that can be tested for their impact on weight and weight change. It will be used by local schools, community
organizations, and policy makers to define the scope of the obesity problem among preschool aged children in this area of West Virginia.
Impacts
This project documents the body mass index of a group of preschool children in two counties in rural West Virginia. It provides evidence that the problems of overweight begin in early childhood and will identify factors that are associated with overweight and risk for overweight in this group of children.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
The first study among preschool children is nearing completion. Children aged 3 to 5 years and their parents are being recruited through the West Virginia University Extension Service Family Nutrition Program in two rural counties in West Virginia. This project will provide information on the percentage of preschool participants who are underweight, at a normal weight, at risk for overweight or overweight and on their diet quality. It will quantify mother's nutrition knowledge and attitudes and family food security using surveys. We will be able to identify familial factors that are associated with risk for overweight and overweight among preschool children.
Impacts
This project will help us to identify modifiable factors that hinder or promote healthful dietary habits and body mass indexes among preschool children. From this, we can design, implement, and evaluate intervention strategies to promote healthier lifestyles.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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