Systematic Observation: A Method for Measuring Health Related Culture & Obesity

描述（由申请人提供）：许多研究表明并发现，文化影响各种各样的健康结果。鉴于肥胖流行病的日益严重，特别令人感兴趣的是健康结果，这可能部分是由于影响饮食和锻炼等行为模式的文化现象造成的。就文化影响个人的健康行为而言，这类健康状况已经成熟，可以进行严格的文化分析。然而，大多数关于文化对健康结果的影响的研究都使用了文化的替代品，这些替代品未能近似于文化的社会学有效概念。这里提出的研究将汇集一个团队的社会学家专家在理论和测量的文化与健康研究人员专家在理论和测量的肥胖-一个关键的健康结果与行为的前因。两个具体目标将带来系统的观察方法，以测量基于场所的文化：具体目标1：通过一种新的方法来评估与健康有关的信息普遍存在于北卡罗来纳州的卡米尔县的基于场所的文化：系统的文化观察。 具体目标二：对阿吉尔县居民为理解具体目标1中确定的信息而使用的各种解释进行编目。我们建议将现有的系统性社会观察（SSO）方法学改造成一种测量文化的新方法：系统性文化观察（SCO）。上海合作组织的议定书将涉及一个五人研究小组在北卡罗来纳州阿吉尔县为期四天的密集停留。我们将收集有关媒体信息，物理环境，健康食品的展示和可用性，可用体育活动设施的使用的地理编码信息;以及饮食和运动相关文化的社会环境。然后，我们将提出意见，从观察到的焦点小组组成，以评估剧目的解释县居民带来的理解这些文化信息。这两个阶段的方法来衡量基于地方的文化提供了了解的方式，文化的温和和调解的影响，其他个人和社会因素对健康的结果，特别是肥胖和肥胖的代际转移的可能性。 公共卫生相关性：许多研究表明并发现，文化影响各种各样的健康结果，包括儿童和成人肥胖症的迅速蔓延。我们提出了一种新的方法来测量基于场所的文化与模式的健康信念和肥胖相关的行为。这可能有助于理解和针对致肥胖信念和行为的反应。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Numerous studies have suggested and found that culture affects a wide variety of health outcomes. Of particular interest given the rising obesity epidemic are health outcomes that may result, in part, from cultural phenomena influencing behavioral patterns such as diet and exercise. To the extent that culture affects individuals' health behaviors, this class of health conditions is ripe for rigorous cultural analysis. However, most studies of cultural effects on health outcomes have used proxies for culture that fail to approximate a sociologically valid conceptualization of culture. The research proposed here would bring together a team of sociologists expert in the theory and measurement of culture with health researchers expert in the theory and measurement of obesity -a key health outcome with behavioral antecedents. Two specific aims will bring systematic observational methods to the measurement of place-based culture: Specific Aim 1: to assess health-related messages prevalent in the place-based culture of Lenoir County, North Carolina, through a new methodological approach: Systematic Cultural Observation. Specific Aim 2: to catalogue the repertoire of interpretations used by Lenoir County residents to understand the messages identified in Specific Aim 1. We propose to adapt the existing Systematic Social Observation (SSO) methodology into a novel approach to measuring culture: Systematic Cultural Observation (SCO). The SCO protocol will involve a four-day, intensive stay by a five-member research team in Lenoir County, NC. We will gather geocoded information about media messages, physical environment, display and availability of healthy food, uses of available physical activity facilities; and social environments for eating and exercise related culture. We will then present observations from the observations to focus groups constituted to evaluate the repertoire of interpretations county residents bring to understanding these cultural messages. This two-phase approach to measuring place-based culture offers the possibility for understanding the ways in which culture moderates and mediates the effects of other individual and social factors on health outcomes, particularly obesity and the intergenerational transfer of obesity. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Numerous studies have suggested and found that culture affects a wide variety of health outcomes, including the burgeoning epidemic of childhood and adult obesity. We propose a novel method for measuring place-based culture with respect to patterns of health beliefs and behaviors related to obesity. This may be useful in understanding and targeting responses to obesogenic beliefs and behaviors.