College Students as Facilitators to Reduce Adolescent Obesity Disparity

大学生是减少青少年肥胖差距的促进者

• 批准号: 8255461
• 负责人: Deborah L Slawson
• 金额: $ 33.7万
• 依托单位: EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-04-08 至 2013-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8255461
• 关键词: Academia; Academy; Address; Adolescence; Adolescent; Appalachian Region; Attitude; Behavior; Behavior Control; Body Image; Body mass index; Chronic Disease; Clinical Trials Design; Communities; Control Groups; County; Diabetes Mellitus; Diet; Eating; Eating Behavior; Education; Ethics; Evaluation; Face; Fostering; Goals; Habits; Health; Health education; Heart Diseases; Institutes; Intervention; Life; Mediator of activation protein; Obesity; Peer Group; Physical activity; Population; Prevalence; Public Health; Randomized; Reporting; Research; Resources; Risk; Role; Rural; Self Efficacy; Services; Students; Study Subject; Tennessee; Testing; Time; Training; Universities; base; effective intervention; efficacy testing; high school; meetings; obesity prevention; peer; post intervention; prevent; programs; public health relevance; randomized trial; role model; university student

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Appalachian region has a population of 23 million residing in 420 counties and 13 states. Forty-two percent of the region's population is rural. Compared to other regions, people living in Appalachia were reported to face a heavier burden from chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The proportions of obese high school students in Southern Appalachia are among the highest in the nation. Health risk habits including unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are often established during adolescence and may contribute significantly to this chronic disease disparity. Although adolescent obesity is an urgent public health issue, effective interventions are few. Therefore, we propose to test an academia-community partnership approach using college students as facilitators to prevent obesity among adolescents. The long-term goal is to establish an effective academia-community partnership program to address adolescent obesity disparity in Southern Appalachia. The specific aims are: 1) To develop a peer- based health education program focusing on establishing positive peer norms and supportive peer relationships toward healthy eating and physical activity among high school students, 2) To test the efficacy of the program, and 3) To explore the mechanisms underlying the program. Twelve (six per each semester) undergraduates at East Tennessee State University will be trained to conduct an eleven-week peer-based health education program as peer facilitators. A cluster-randomized trial design will be used and 6 rural high schools will be randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Approximately 1440 adolescents will be included as study subjects. Body mass index (BMI) percentile, dietary behavior, and physical activity among the study subjects will be assessed pre-intervention, at the end of the intervention, and 12 months post-intervention. Mean levels and/or prevalence of differences in the assessments (BMI percentile, obesity status, eating behavior, and physical activity) will be compared between the intervention and control group at the 3 time points (pre-intervention, end of intervention, and 12 months post-intervention). Peer group norms, body image, supportive peer relationships, role modeling, behavioral control/self-efficacy, attitudes, and intentions toward healthy eating and physical activity will be assessed pre-intervention, at the end of the intervention, and 12 months post-intervention. The roles of these factors as mediators of the intervention in modifying adolescents' eating and physical activity behaviors, as well as, body mass index will be examined. This proposed study will provide an important evaluation of an academia-community partnership using college students as facilitators to address adolescent obesity disparity in Southern Appalachia. If proven effective, the proposed program can meet the critical community needs for adolescent obesity prevention by engaging higher education institutes and students in service and fostering within them an ethic of civic responsibility. The program will be easily transferable from research to action without substantial additional resources and will be a sustainable win-win program for both the community and the academy. 1 PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This proposed study will provide an important evaluation of a peer-based program. If proven effective, the proposed program can meet the critical community needs for adolescent obesity prevention by engaging higher education students in service and fostering within them an ethic of civic responsibility. A community-campus partnership with this proven program as the core can be built to address adolescent obesity in Southern Appalachia. It would be a sustainable win- win program for both the community and the academy. .

描述（由申请人提供）：阿巴拉契亚地区有2300万人口，居住在420个县和13个州。该地区42%的人口是农村人口。据报道，与其他地区相比，阿巴拉契亚地区的居民面临着肥胖、糖尿病和心脏病等慢性疾病的更重负担。南阿巴拉契亚地区的高中生肥胖比例是全国最高的。健康风险习惯，包括不健康的饮食和缺乏身体活动，往往是在青春期养成的，这可能是造成这种慢性病差异的重要原因。虽然青少年肥胖是一个紧迫的公共卫生问题，但有效的干预措施很少。因此，我们建议测试一种学术-社区合作的方法，使用大学生作为促进者来预防青少年肥胖。长期目标是建立一个有效的学术社区合作项目，以解决南阿巴拉契亚地区青少年肥胖的差异。本研究的主要目的是：1)建立一个以同伴为基础的健康教育计划，重点是在高中生中建立积极的同伴规范和支持性的同伴关系，以促进健康饮食和体育活动；2)检验该计划的效果；3)探讨该计划的机制。东田纳西州立大学的12名（每学期6名）本科生将作为同伴促进者接受为期11周的同伴健康教育计划的培训。采用整群随机试验设计，将6所农村高中随机分为干预组和对照组。大约1440名青少年将被纳入研究对象。研究对象的身体质量指数（BMI）百分位数、饮食行为和身体活动将在干预前、干预结束时和干预后12个月进行评估。将在3个时间点（干预前、干预结束和干预后12个月）比较干预组和对照组在评估（BMI百分比、肥胖状况、饮食行为和身体活动）方面的平均水平和/或流行程度的差异。将在干预前、干预结束时和干预后12个月评估同伴群体规范、身体形象、支持性同伴关系、角色塑造、行为控制/自我效能、态度和对健康饮食和体育活动的意向。这些因素在干预中对青少年饮食和身体活动行为以及体重指数的调节作用将被检验。本研究将提供一个重要的评估学术界和社区的合作伙伴关系，利用大学生作为促进者，以解决青少年肥胖差距在南阿巴拉契亚。如果被证明是有效的，提议的项目可以通过让高等教育机构和学生参与服务，并在他们内部培养公民责任伦理，来满足青少年肥胖预防的关键社区需求。该计划将很容易从研究转移到行动，而不需要大量的额外资源，这将是一个可持续的社区和学院双赢的计划。1