ACTIVATE: A Childhood Overweight Initiative

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ACTIVATE A Childhood Overweight Initiative

• Susan Borra, RD Elizabeth Davenport, MPH
  Richard B. Elder, MBA Alison Esser
• International Food Information Council Foundation

Poster Session American Public Health
Association November 12 , 2002
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The Issue

• Increasing overweight/obesity
• 61 of population is overweight/obese
• 25 of children are overweight
• The incidence is rapidly increasing
• Causes are complex
• Family influences
• Eating behaviors
• Environment
• Current education and prevention approaches are
  not working

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Research Objectives

• Understand how kids and key influencers think and
  feel about food, physical activity, and health
• What messages will effectively reach them?
• How should these messages be delivered?

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Design and Methodology
Target kids 9-12 years old and influencers
Focus Groups Kids Parents Teachers 16 Focus Groups (N112) Jan Feb 2000 Chicago Baltimore
Ethnographic studies Culture and behavior in the home 6 Families Apr May 2000 Atlanta Minneapolis Los Angeles
One-on-one interviews 10 Interview Sessions (N46) July 2000 Chicago
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Findings Kids and Health

• Weight is related to performance and appearance
  not health
• No sustainable interest in concepts like
  nutrition, physical activity, and healthy
  eating
• Being healthy RULES
• Want small victories to sustain interest and
  build self-esteem
• Want ideas for physical activity beyond organized
  sports
• Want parental guidance and emotional support

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Findings Parents and Health

• Overweight not seen as a health issue
• Not necessarily good role models
• Believe their child will outgrow the problem
• Fear of causing unhealthy eating behaviors
• Lack information and skills to address issue with
  kids
• Findings Teachers
• See impact of overweight on self-esteem in school
  setting
• Believe change must begin and be supported in the
  home

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Findings Family Dynamics

• Interventions to shift behavior toward healthy
  lifestyles should involve entire family
• This issue goes to the heart of the parent/child
  relationship Whos in charge?
• Children and parents need help defining and
  measuring fitness and health
• Kids and parents want help setting reasonable
  goals
• Children want ongoing involvement and inspiration
  from parents

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Implications for Effective Communication

• Kids and parents have common interests but
  different information needs
• Kidsfun, cool, not boring
• Parentsquick, easy to use, credible
• Fitness, healthy eating, and health need to
  be re-defined
• Messages must address self-esteem, behavior,
  parenting, and family dynamic issues
• Structure information to facilitate communication
  between kids and parents

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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Research to be Published

• Compilation
• Peer-review
• Journal of the American Dietetic Association

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ACTIVATE Web Site Approach

• Fun and engaging for kids
• Quick and easy to use for parents
• Promote physical activity and good nutrition
• Customizable content delivery
• Facilitate kid/parent dialogue
• No advertising/product links

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002
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(No Transcript)
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Kidnetic.com for Kids
Busy Buddy Your on-screen buddy. A personal buddy
who lives on-screen and helps you tap into your
own energy.
Time Challenge Can you beat the clock? Active
games for you to play against your friends or
against yourself
Inner G What makes you tick? Learn about your
body through food and physical activity.
Betchacant Do the dare- If youre up to the
challenge! Activities that get you up and moving.
Recipe Roundup Cook up a winner. Kid-tested,
kid-friendly, Ways for you to eat healthy
Wet Head Games Pick one or make up your own. Vote
on your favorite foods, games and things to do.
Kidnector Check out what Mom and Dad know. Send
messages and quizzes to Your parents to keep
connected
Shout Out Tell us what youre thinking. Discussion
area where you can talk to other kids about
whats on your mind.
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Kidnetic.com for parents
Bright Papers Learn how to get energized. Detailed
information parents can use to help kids make
healthy choices about eating and exercise
Ask an Expert/FAQ Check out what the experts
say. Ask our panel of experts for their advice on
eating right, staying active and healthy living
for your family.
Discussion Board Talk to your peers. Find out
what other parents think about raising healthy
kids.
Kidnector Make a kidnection. Use this feature to
keep the lines of communication open between you
and your kids.
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Results and Learning to Date

• Effectively reaching and speaking to our target
  audience
• Over 380,000 visits to the home page through
  October
• 1549 average length of visit
• Kids are comfortable with being open and honest
• Over 800 posts submitted to Shout Out to date
• Over 1700 Wet Head games submitted to date
• Source Kidnetic.com WebTrends report
  7/2002-10/02

Poster Presentation-American Public Health
Association, November 2002