Social Ecological Model for Community and Home-based Nutrition Education

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Striking changes in dietary patterns and decreases in physical activity have driven the prevalence of obesity among American children to epidemic proportions; low-income and ethnic minority families are especially vulnerable to the socio-economic barriers that influence obesity, with Latino populations being the most severely affected. The proposed interactive, bilingual children's nutrition education curriculum is uniquely poised to fill the gaps in intergenerational health education and has the capacity to change the paradigm of obesity prevention in underserved, linguistically isolated communities through its attention to the interconnected relationships among the family, community-based care settings, and the powerful weight of national and local media. These layers of influence comprise the social ecological model (SEM), which this proposal utilizes as a framework to explore the linkages among the multiple influences on children's nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Through the concurrent use of interactive, educational media and activities in (i) low-income family homes, (ii) community-based organizations such as Head Start classrooms, and (iii) through public television, the proposed immersive program promises to provide exposure to nutrition education, enhance children's communication abilities regarding health topics, and promote intergenerational communication to foster sustained healthy dietary habits for the entire family.