healthy people 2020 - Society for Public Health Education

✯ Conference Abstracts ✯
saturday | november 6
concurrent sessions d4
Room: Molly Brown
food for thought: examining connections between
nutrition and disease prevention
Reducing the Prevalence of Obesity Among Low Income Adults
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Neeti Doshi, BA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
background: Globally, low income is one of the most cited factors
associated with high incidence of obesity. Current literature emphasizes
that the combination of proper nutrition and regular physical activity is
a highly effective intervention in preventative medicine, perhaps even as
equally effective as drug therapy. It is essential to measure and systematically
identify current lifestyle habits to maximize improved health
outcomes and build effective public health programs.
objectives: To systematically identify nutritional habits of low-income
adults in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and ascertain associations between diet,
physical activity, generated income, and calculated BMI values.
methods: Willing and informed participants were recruited from the
Brazilian NGO Associacao Saude Crianca Renascer. Participants responded
to a 36-item validated nutritional assessment and health status
questionnaire in Portuguese that measured the frequency in which they
ate 11 different food groups on a daily or weekly basis. All items were
scored on a 4-point scale (0-3, 0=most healthy; 3=least healthy behavior)
to generate a total nutrition score with a range between 0 (best dietary
habits) to 33 (poor dietary habits). BMI [kg/m2] was calculated using
standard height and weight measures. All descriptive and statistical
analyses were completed using SPSS software.
results: Participants (n=72) ranged from ages 18-51 with an average
age of 31.4. 83.3% reported no physical activity outside of their daily
routine and less than 1/4 reported knowledge of the food pyramid or
food groups. Total nutrition scores ranged from 4-30 points, with a
mean of 16.75. BMI values ranged from 17.04 – 47.66 with a mean of
28.57. 42% were categorized as overweight but not obese, while 25%
were obese. Univariate and regression analyses revealed significant associations
between nutrition score and calculated BMI (p=.036) as well as
between lack of physical activity and BMI (p=.028). However, monthly
income was not significantly associated (p=.802) with BMI.
conclusions: While only 22% of participants reported being overweight,
in fact 77% had elevated BMI’s suggestive of obesity trends. Poor
dietary and exercise habits are more indicative of the prevalence of obesity
than monthly income amongst adults in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Future educational
and/or interventional programs in Brazil should focus on middleaged
adults who may not be aware of a risk of obesity. These efforts should
include information on the food pyramid, alternative forms of exercise
such as yoga and/or breathing techniques that may improve circulation
and sleep quality, as well as routine dietary counseling.
Partnership for Success: Food Bank and Community Coalition
Team up to Provide Healthy Snacks for Low-Income Kids
Sarah Morales, MS, RD, Poudre Valley Health System; Kristin Bieri, BS,
Food Bank for Larimer County; Virginia Clark, MS, Poudre Valley Health
System, Coalition for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity; Amy Pezzani,
BS, Food Bank for Larimer County
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sophe conference ✯ november 4-6, 2010
Lower income levels have been associated with poor health and nutrition,
as indicated by higher incidence of obesity, lower intake of fruits
and vegetables, and higher levels of physical inactivity. To address
health disparities in the Northern Colorado area, in 2007, the Coalition
for Activity and Nutrition to Defeat Obesity (CanDo) initiated the
formation of the Fort Collins Nutrition Network, a collaborative group
consisting of over 30 low-income serving organizations with the goal of
improving nutrition and physical activity through increased coordination,
collaboration and networking opportunities. Network partners
were involved in conducting a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
threats) analysis, identifying target audiences and intervention
areas. Through this highly participatory process, we identified the need
for a healthy snack intervention, focusing on elementary aged children.
CanDo partnered with the Food Bank for Larimer County to enhance
the nutritional quality of snacks being served to low-income kids in a variety
of community settings, using a three-phase approach to implement
a Healthy Snack Initiative. In Phase One, the Food Bank modified their
existing infrastructure for receiving and distributing food, allowing for
incoming food and snack items to be rated, based on nutrition criteria
established by the Snackwise® Nutrition Rating System. Snackwise® is
a research-based nutrition rating system that calculates the nutrient
density in snack foods, and items are rated as (1) Best Choice (2) Choose
Occasionally, or (3) Choose Rarely. In Phase Two, program coordinators
from targeted sites were trained on how to use the Food Bank healthy
snack designation system and were educated on the importance of serving
healthy snacks. Program coordinators were also incented to select
the healthier options by using CanDo mini-grants to cover the cost
of healthier choices (while they received no incentive for less-healthy
options). Phase Three involves program evaluation and dissemination
of results and is currently underway, to be completed by September
2010. Data is being compiled from the 2009-2010 school year and will
be compared to baseline data to assess impact. Preliminary data analysis
suggest that the healthy snack initiative has been effective at improving
the nutritional quality of snacks offered to low-income kids, as demonstrated
by a 37% increase in healthy snacks being selected. To date, over
2,000 low-income kids have been reached at 27 sites in the community.
The results of a thorough process and outcome evaluation will assist in
determining program impact and opportunities for improvement and
transferability to other geographic areas.
Nutrition Security: Approaching Food-Related Health Issues
Differently Using An Ecological Analysis with Political Economy
and Social Cognitive Theories .
Robin Haguewood, BA, MPH Candidate, San Francisco State University
background: Nutrition insecurity is defined as the combined and related
problems of food insecurity, obesity and poor nutrition. Nutrition
insecurity and its three components are explored through all levels of
the ecological model to first describe the issue, explore causes, and then
propose an intervention. Social determinants of health such as poverty
and lack of access to healthy foods are discussed and incorporated into
intervention recommendations.
theoretical framework: Political economy theory and social cognitive
theory are paired to analyze the problem and inform a multilevel
approach to intervention.
methods: A critical literature review of over 20 peer reviewed articles
addressing food insecurity, food related health outcomes and current
interventions was conducted to inform recommendations for further
intervention.
hypothesis: The issues of food insecurity, obesity and poor nutrition
are best addressed through a multilevel intervention grounded in the
ecological model aimed more heavily at policy and social change.
results: Community, structural and policy level causes for nutri-