Source: ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, AEROBIC, MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION INITIATIVE OPTIMIZING NUTRITION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031950
Grant No.
2024-38821-42169
Cumulative Award Amt.
$250,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-09240
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2024
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2027
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[EWE]- Extension Project
Recipient Organization
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
4900 MERIDIAN STREET
NORMAL,AL 35762
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer nationally and in Alabama. It has been reported that an estimated 17.9 million people have died from some form of the disease. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 928,741 people died. In Alabama, the number one CVD killer is heart disease (15,173 deaths). Alabama falls far behind nationally in addressing CVD and risk factors (CVRF) such as obesity (39.9%), diabetes (15.1%), high blood pressure (42.7%), high cholesterol (40.1%), physical inactivity (31.5%), unhealthy diet (4.8%), and smoking (17.2%). The proposed Cardiovascular Health, Aerobic, Management and Prevention Initiative Optimizing Nutrition (CHAMPION) will provide a phenomena and innovative opportunity to certify and train Extension educators, student and community volunteers on nutrition and physical activity concepts and digital health technologies. In addition, the target audience (adults 18+) will be engaged in an experiential-based learning environment, using visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles to motivate healthy living through nutrition (heart healthy diets, mapping), physical activity (exergaming and traditional), and use of digital health technologies (apps, wearable devices, telehealth, social media, videos, blog posts, podcasts). The project delivery will be three mobilized training rooms mimicking real-life experiences in a doctor's office, kitchen, and gym. Participants will complete 50 hours of training to receive a certificate of completion. It has be reported 50 hours of education effects behavioral habit changes. Equipping Alabama adults to combat CVD and CVRF, could have a significant impact on the youth's obesity epidemic and prevent the continuous rise of adulthood chronic diseases.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7036099101050%
7246099302050%
Knowledge Area
703 - Nutrition Education and Behavior; 724 - Healthy Lifestyle;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
1) Build and strengthen Alabama Extension at AAMU community program delivery through experiential-based themed training rooms focused on cardiovascular health, nutrition, physical activity (exergaming and traditional), digital technologies and Tower Gardens®. (Extension Specialists- Nutrition, Horticulture, and Technology; UREAs; Graduate Assistant, and Student and Community Volunteers)2) Increase adults' health, nutrition and physical activity knowledge. (Nutrition Extension Specialist and UREAs)3) Create behavioral change in adults' eating and physical activity habits. (Nutrition Extension Specialist and UREAs)4) Increase student and community volunteers' involvement in Extension outreach programs. (Nutrition Extension Specialist, UREAs and Graduate Assistant)5) Develop a framework based on recommendations from the project (Extension Specialists- Nutrition, Horticulture, and Technology).
Project Methods
Stakeholders, with expertise in various disciplines, have committed to serve on the advisory committee for this program. The committee will meet as needed during the program development and implementation phases and quarterly thereafter for inputs and updates. Recruit participants for focus groups. Purchase materials and supplies for program implementation and trainings. Hire a Graduate Assistant (GA) to work on development of the project modules, social media sites, trainings, program implementation, data collection and analysis, and present at meetings, workshops and/or conferences. Technology Specialist will train UREAs, GA, Health and Nutrition and Horticulture Specialists on technologies. Nutrition and Horticulture Specialists and GA will develop the CHAMPION curriculum and activities and train UREAs. Recruit students and volunteers and train on program implementation. Implement the training sessions with program participants. Update website and social media sites with Cardiovascular information and provided educational trainings on the sites.The project will be evaluation based on each objective. The social media sites contacts will be used to track the number of individuals following the project. Adults' perception of the trainings, pre and post knowledge, post-delayed (3 to 6 months after implementation), and exergaming/physical activity will be evaluated through Tower Gardens, Qualtrics, clicker systems, exergames and digital health technologies. The data will be saved to an Excel database and transferred to SPSS for analysis. Qualtrics will be used to track the number of volunteers that will sign-up to participate with program implementation and volunteers hours. The data will be analyzed by the GA. Focus groups discussions will be recorded for project usage.

Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The first training focused on physical activity. This work is relevant to statewide participants, health professionals, and community stakeholders focused on increasing physical activity levels. Urban Regional Extension Agents (UREAs) in Madison, Morgan, and Houston Counties led efforts by forming advisory groups in each location. These groups included fitness trainers, physical education teachers and students, and senior site fitness coordinators who played a key role in recruiting and preparing focus group participants--34 in Madison County, 21 in Morgan County, and 27 in Houston County. Their involvement ensured that the project addressed practical community needs and helped guide training activities in a way that supported measurable engagement. Changes/Problems:Dr. Rudy Pacumbaba is no longer working with the project as the Co-PI. The Health and Nutrition team has decreased to one full-time agent in 2025. There were three (3) full-time agents at the beginning of the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two in-service trainings were conducted with Urban Regional Extension Agents (UREAs), the Graduate Assistant (GA), Principal Investigator (PI), and TechnologyCo-Principal Investigator (Tech Co-PI) to review program implementation procedures, curriculum content, and assessments. Additionally, two fitness trainings were held to cover the fundamentals of exercise and demonstrate exercise routines to be used during the focus group sessions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Planned Activities for the Next Reporting Period 1. Implement Training Rooms Training Room I - Doctor's Office Simulation-?Participants will engage in interactive sessions focused on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF) management. Topics will include: CVD symptoms and treatments Medical terminology and lab profile interpretation Medication use and health monitoring apps Telehealth/telemedicine services and patient portal navigation Holographic visuals will be used to illustrate anatomical features, including the heart. Training Room II - Nutrition & Gardening with Aeroponics- A test kitchen will support hands-on training in meal preparation using produce from Tower Gardens® and evidence-based dietary patterns, including DASH, Mediterranean, plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan diets. Tower Gardens® will be grown indoors year-round using soil-free, aeroponic technology. Themed gardens (e.g., fruit and vegetable salads) will be installed at partnering sites and county offices. Participants will receive training on mobile applications for: Tracking food consumption Scanning Nutrition Facts labels Accessing recipes and nutrition content These efforts aim to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. 2. Continue Implementation of Training Room III - Physical Activity UREAs will continue delivering weekly physical activity modules, including: Dance aerobics Exergames Traditional exercise routines 3. Data Collection and Analysis Baseline and post-program data collection will continue at each site and include: Demographics Nutrition and physical activity behavior assessments Body Mass Index (BMI) Waist circumference All data will be submitted to Dr. Warren and the Graduate Assistant (GA) for analysis and inclusion in program reporting.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Year one was for planning, ordering and programpiloting, with full implementation planned for years two and three. Sessions included educational modules focused on physical activities (e.g., dance aerobics/exergames). Scheduling was coordinated between UREAs and site coordinators. Tech Co-PI and graduate student worked on training modules that will be uploaded onto laptops for with digital tools. Urban Regional Extension Agents (UREAs) implemented the CHAMPION program across Alabama's metropolitan areas. They formed advisory groups and focus groups, which shared real-life experiences about cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors (CVRF). Dr. Warren and the Graduate Assistant (GA) developed guided questions. The piloted recordings will be used to create curriculum and social media content. UREAs, supported by stakeholders, facilitated participant recruitment and set up training rooms for demonstrations. Participants engaged in interactive modules simulating gym settings.?

Publications