Stress & Parenting in Blacks: Preventing Obesity in Youth to Reduce Cancer Risk

描述(申请人提供)：2011年，肥胖是导致16,000多名非裔美国人(黑人)死于癌症的一个因素。黑人的肥胖率和癌症死亡率是美国所有群体中最高的。与癌症风险增加相关的肥胖和生活方式行为通常是在童年时期形成的，这突显了父母行为在降低肥胖相关癌症风险方面的重要性。这项拟议的研究考察了应对在缓解压力对照顾者行为的影响方面的影响，这些行为促进了儿童肥胖、快餐、水果和蔬菜的消费、活动和不活动。长期的研究目标是为黑人家庭开发一种干预措施，以降低儿童肥胖相关的癌症风险。压力，被定义为对被认为累人的事件的负面心理反应，在黑人成年人中，与随意的饮食计划和增加高脂肪/高糖食物的消费有关。父母/照顾者(这里称为“照顾者”)的压力与儿童肥胖、快餐消费和蔬菜摄入量减少有关。黑人和白人在应对方式上的差异被认为是造成健康差异的原因之一。有证据表明，与白人相比，黑人更有可能使用宗教和文化影响的应对方式。这两种应对方式都会增加肥胖风险(消极应对)或降低肥胖风险(积极应对)。一项混合方法设计将被用来确定压力和应对方式如何影响可能与儿童肥胖有关的育儿行为。研究的目的是：(1)表征促进儿童肥胖的黑人照顾者的压力、应对技能和父母行为之间的关系；(2)测量压力、文化影响和宗教应对方式与促进儿童肥胖的黑人照顾者的父母行为之间的关系。为了达到这些目标，本研究首先采用半结构访谈的定性研究方法，对48名3-7岁儿童的照顾者进行研究，探讨压力和应对方式对儿童肥胖症父母教养方式的影响。其次，一项横断面研究将在164名照顾者及其3-7岁的孩子中衡量这些关系。这项研究将在黑人教会社区进行，以反映85%的黑人认为自己是黑人教会文化的一部分。这些研究将为未来开发和测试干预措施以预防儿童肥胖和未来癌症风险的项目提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Obesity was a factor in over 16,000 cancer-related deaths in African-Americans (Blacks) in 2011. Blacks have the highest prevalence of obesity and cancer death rates of any group in the United States. Obesity and lifestyle behaviors related to increased cancer risks are often established during childhood, highlighting the importance of parenting behaviors in reducing obesity-related cancer risks. The proposed study examines the influence of coping in mitigating the effects of stress on caregiver behaviors that promote child obesity, fast food, fruit and vegetable consumption, activity and inactivity. The long term research objective is to develop an intervention for Black families to reduce obesity-related cancer risk in children. Stress, defined as the negative psychological response to events that are perceived as taxing, in Black adults is associated with haphazard meal planning and increased consumption of high-fat/high-sugar foods. Stress in parents/caregivers (here on referred to as "caregivers") is associated with child obesity, fast food consumption, and decreased vegetable intake. Differential use of coping styles in Blacks and Whites has been postulated as a cause for health disparities. There is evidence that compared with Whites, Blacks are more likely to use religious and culturally influenced coping. Both of these types of coping have aspects that either increase the risk of obesity (negative coping) or decrease the risk of obesity (positive coping). A mixed-methods design will be used to identify how stress and coping influence parenting behaviors that may be associated with child obesity. The research aims are: (1) to characterize the relationships among stress, coping skills and parenting behaviors of Black caregivers that promote child obesity; and (2) to measure the association of stress and culturally-influenced and religious coping styles with parenting behaviors of Black caregivers that promote child obesity. To accomplish these aims, first a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews will be used to characterize the influence of stress and coping on parenting related to child obesity in 48 caregivers of children ages 3-7 years. Second, a cross-sectional study will measure these relationships in 164 caregivers and their children ages 3-7 years. This study will be conducted in the Black church community to reflect the fact that 85% of Blacks consider themselves a part of Black church culture. These studies will inform future projects that develop and test interventions to prevent child obesity and future cancer risk.