title: Attitudes of African American advocates toward childhood obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the childhood obesity-related attitudes and beliefs of community advocates who are serving African-American children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Attendees at the 2009 National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) annual meeting who also attended the session on childhood obesity were surveyed. Surveys were self administered prior to the start of the session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survey respondents felt that social determinants like heavy advertising, high cost of healthful food, etc were contributors to the childhood obesity epidemic while simultaneously believing that parents were ultimately responsible for shaping their children's eating behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  African American children are plagued by a number of different risk factors. The job of advocates is very important in addressing these problems, however, advocates often find it difficult to split their time between each area. Health care professionals might be better served by developing disease risk reduction comprehensive programs when working with these communities.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, USA. Wendy.Johnson-Askew@US.nestle.com
authors.forename: Wendy L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Johnson-Askew
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States