Neighborhood Environment and Physical Activity in Hispanic-American Preschoolers

描述(由申请者提供)：拉美裔美国人是美国增长最快的种族之一，也是各个年龄段肥胖率最高的群体。预防肥胖需要从儿童早期开始，通过促进积极的生活方式。尽管越来越多的经验支持物理和社会环境的各个方面与体育活动(PA)行为之间的联系，但这些与拉美裔美国人(HA)儿童有关的问题仍然没有得到充分的研究。许多医管局儿童生活在不安全和资源不足的社区，没有医疗保险。因此，特别迫切的是对与这部分人口相关的可改变的环境促进剂和PA的威慑力进行系统评估。这种评估需要从制定对文化敏感的环境与公共部门关系的模式和相关措施开始。本研究的目的是：1)确定主要照顾者的做法和可能影响HA学龄前儿童PA行为的社区环境方面；2)制定社会和物理环境以及发生PA的地点的测量方法，以便对这一人群中PA的环境影响进行严格研究。64名医管局3至5岁儿童的主要照顾者将参加有组织的焦点小组，旨在确定1)与学龄前儿童PA有关的照顾者做法的关键方面，2)社区社会环境，3)感知的社区安全，4)PA的场所，5)和积极玩耍的设备。这些信息将被用来编制关于这五个概念的问卷。另一个样本为20名医管局主要照顾者，将进行定性的认知访谈，以完善新编制的问卷。将根据房委会居民的百分比、娱乐空间的可用性和社区安全(犯罪风险和交通安全)对休斯顿(得克萨斯州)市区的人口普查区组进行筛选和选择进行研究。医管局将从选定地区招募240名医管局学龄前儿童初级照顾者。他们将完成新开发的问卷。这些主要照顾者中的一半(n=120)将被要求同意他们的孩子参与这项研究。儿童的PA将使用小型活动监测器进行为期四天的测量。PA的位置将使用紧凑的全球定位系统监视器和照顾者日记进行记录。还将收集有关家庭社会人口学、文化适应、家族主义和民族文化认同的数据。拟议的跨学科项目团队结合了肥胖症、体力活动、父母做法和与HA学龄前儿童PA相关的建筑环境因素的测量开发和研究方面的专业知识。这项计划将确定导致医管局学龄前儿童肥胖症的家庭和邻里特征，以指导未来的环境和教育干预措施，旨在从小对抗医管局种族群体中的肥胖症。 与公共卫生相关：儿童肥胖症在这个国家已经达到了流行的程度，特别是在西班牙裔美国儿童中。该项目将确定导致拉美裔美国学龄前儿童肥胖的主要照顾者和社区特征。这些知识将指导未来的环境和教育干预措施，旨在从小对抗拉美裔美国人群体中的肥胖症。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hispanic Americans are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the US and the group with the highest prevalence of obesity across all ages. Obesity prevention needs to start from early childhood through the promotion of an active lifestyle. Although there is growing empirical support for associations between aspects of the physical and social environments and physical activity (PA) behavior, these issues, as they pertain to Hispanic-American (HA) children, remain understudied. Many HA children live in unsafe and under-resourced communities and have no health insurance coverage. Hence, it is particularly urgent to conduct a systematic evaluation of modifiable environmental facilitators and deterrents of PA relevant to this segment of the population. Such evaluation needs to start with the development of a culturally-sensitive model of environment- PA relationships and relevant measures. The present study aims to 1) identify primary caregivers' practices and aspects of the neighborhood environment that potentially influence the PA behavior of HA preschool children, and 2) develop measures of the social and physical environments, and locations where PA occurs, that will permit a rigorous study of environmental influences on PA in this population segment. Sixty-four HA primary caregivers of 3-to-5 year old children will participate in structured focus groups aimed at identifying key aspects of 1) caregivers' practices related to preschoolers' PA, 2) the neighborhood social environment, 3) perceived neighborhood safety, 4) places for PA, 5) and active-play equipment. This information will be used to develop questionnaires of these five concepts. Qualitative cognitive interviews will be conducted on another sample of 20 HA primary caregivers in order to refine the newly-developed questionnaires. Census block groups in urban Houston (Texas) will be screened and selected for study based on percentage of HA residents, availability of recreation space, and neighborhood safety (risk of crime and traffic safety). A sample of 240 HA primary caregivers of preschool children will be recruited from the selected areas. They will complete the newly-developed questionnaires. Half of these primary caregivers (n=120) will be asked for consent to their child's participation in the study. Children's PA will be measured for four days using small activity monitors. Locations of PA will be recorded using compact Global Positioning System monitors and caregivers' diaries. Data on family socio-demographics, acculturation, familism, and ethno-cultural identity will also be collected. The proposed trans-disciplinary project team combines expertise in measurement development and study of obesity, physical activity, parental practices, and built environment factors proposed to be related to PA in HA preschoolers. This project will identify family and neighborhood characteristics contributing to PA in HA preschoolers to guide future environmental and educational interventions aimed at combating the obesity plague in the HA ethnic group from early life. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in this country, especially among Hispanic American children. This project will identify primary caregivers' and neighborhood characteristics contributing to obesity in Hispanic-American preschoolers. This knowledge will guide future environmental and educational interventions aimed at combating the obesity plague in the Hispanic-American ethnic group from early life.