title: Evaluation of a childhood obesity awareness campaign targeting head start families: designed by parents for parents.
abstract: The Communities for Healthy Living program used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to empower Head Start parents in designing and pilot testing a multi-component family-centered obesity prevention program. One program component was a childhood obesity awareness campaign addressing common parental misconceptions about obesity. The campaign was designed by a community advisory board of parents to target specific issues identified within their own community. Results from pre-post intervention surveys (N=108) showed that campaign exposure was high; 92% of responding parents reported noticing the campaign. Parents also demonstrated significant increases in awareness of childhood obesity, along with decreases in obesity-related misconceptions. Findings, supported by growing literature on CBPR, suggest a CBPR approach to campaign development is an effective strategy to promote parent awareness of childhood obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, University at Albany School of Public Health, 1 University Place, Rensselaer, NY 12144; USA.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: GreenMills
authors.forename: Kirsten K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Kaigang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Janine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jurkowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010290:Parents; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*