Picture Me Fit: Engaging Youth in Community-Based Prevention

描述（由申请人提供）：大约三分之一的美国成年人和儿童肥胖，并且有多种相关慢性健康状况的风险，如心血管疾病、高血压、糖尿病、中风、骨关节炎、睡眠呼吸暂停和某些类型的癌症。疾病控制和预防中心（CDC）和其他专家资源认识到，尽管个人层面的因素，如良好的营养和体育活动是肥胖的核心决定因素，但促进健康行为和预防肥胖需要一种包括环境和政策层面变化的综合方法。正在呼吁社区实施环境战略，以促进良好的营养和身体活动。为建议的环境战略和措施制定了指导方针，以帮助社区规划和监测促进良好营养和体育活动的环境和政策变化。尽管专家建议有助于指导社区做什么（即具体的环境和政策层面的战略实施），但在如何开展使社区参与预防肥胖的工作方面存在一些挑战。拟议中的项目将采用定性的、人种学的方法，使用纪实摄影、照片展览和宣传，使青年和成人团体能够在他们的社区中开展预防肥胖的工作。第一期STTR项目的总体目标是测试开发的可行性

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately one-third of all U.S. adults and children are obese and at-risk for a wide range of related chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other expert resources recognize that although individual-level factors such as good nutrition and physical activity are core determinants of obesity, a comprehensive approach that includes environmental and policy-level changes is necessary to promote healthy behaviors and prevent obesity. Communities are being called upon to implement environmental strategies evidenced to promote good nutrition and physical activity. Guidelines for recommended environmental strategies and measurements have been created to help communities plan and monitor environmental and policy changes that promote good nutrition and physical activity. Although the expert recommendations are helpful in guiding communities on what to do (i.e., specific environmental and policy-level strategies to implement), several challenges exist regarding how to go about the work of engaging a community in obesity prevention. The proposed project will use a qualitative, ethnographic method of using documentary photography, photo exhibits, and advocacy to empower groups of youth and adults to do the work of obesity prevention in their communities. The overall goal of this Phase I STTR project is to test the feasibility of developing Picture Me Fit (PMFit), a multi-component online resource designed to train community members, including youth, to: a) represent environmental factors contributing to obesity in their communities by using a process known as photovoice and b) use photo projects to assess the physical environment of a community, raise community awareness, mobilize stakeholders, and inform environmental and policy changes.