title: Perceptions of Food Intake, Physical Activity, and Obesity Among African-American Children in the Lower Mississippi Delta.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the nutrition and physical activity perceptions of children for planning a healthy weight curriculum to address childhood obesity in African-American children living in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six children's focus group sessions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two Louisiana parishes in the LMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy 8- to 13-year-old African-American children, 46 (66%) females and 24 (44%) males, participated in the focus group sessions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interview questions were based on personal and environmental determinants and content and strategies for a healthy lifestyle program for children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed, observer recorded, and analyzed to identify recurring trends and patterns among focus groups. Content analysis consisted of coding focus group transcripts for recurrent themes and review of data by an independent reviewer to confirm the themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emerging themes were categorized as healthy lifestyle opinions within the social cognitive theory constructs of personal and environmental determinants and curriculum content.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LMD youth recognized a healthy eating pattern and that overweight and obesity result from poor eating habits and physical inactivity. Children's food intake pattern did not reflect this understanding, suggesting a need for culturally tailoring an intervention to impact the poor food intake and physical inactivity in two low-income African-American Delta communities.
authors.affiliation: 1 Human Nutrition and Food Program, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Bernestine B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: McGee
authors.affiliation: 1 Human Nutrition and Food Program, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: 1 Human Nutrition and Food Program, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Glenda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: 1 Human Nutrition and Food Program, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Crystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002149:Energy Intake; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty
keywords: Culture, Food Intake and Physical Activity Behaviors, African-American Children, Qualitative, Prevention Research. Manuscript format: applied research brief; Health focus: fitness/physical activity, nutrition; Outcome measure: other, practice; Research purpose: descriptive; Setting: community; Strategy: education; Study design: qualitative; Target population age: youth; Target population circumstances: geographic location, race/ethnicity