Research Projects
Interventions
CATCH is a Texas Education Agency approved Coordinated School Health Program designed to promote physical activity, healthy food choices, and prevent tobacco use in elementary school aged children. By teaching children that eating healthy and being physically active every day can be FUN, the CATCH Program has proved that establishing healthy habits in childhood can promote behavior change that carry into adulthood.
CATCH Travis County Project – Funding received from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to disseminate CATCH in all 97 Travis County elementary schools.
CATCH Middle School Project – Funding received from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation to disseminate the CATCH physical activity and healthy eating program in Central Texas middle schools.
RGK Parent Postcard Campaign - The purpose of this project is to design, develop, implement and evaluate a small media campaign, via postcards, aimed at parents of 4th grade students in Travis County, TX, to increase parental involvement in preventing childhood obesity.
CATCH UP (Coordinated Approach To Child Health in Underserved Populations) – Funding received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, University of Texas Health Science Center PRIME Awards, and pilot funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living. The purpose of this project is to determine the effectiveness of a healthy nutrition, physical activity intervention program in reducing overweight and obesity among 3-5 year old children enrolled in Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start. CATCH UP consists of age- and developmentally-appropriate classroom lesson plans, PE activities and parent tip sheets centered around promoting healthy nutrition, physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviors.
Harris County Steps Project – Funding received from Houston Endowment, Inc. to disseminate CATCH in all Harris County elementary schools.
CATCH ‘EM (CATCH Evaluation Module) – Development of a “Ready to Use” plan to evaluate readily or commercially available nutrition and physical activity programs in new school settings.
CATCH En Vivo (Live Outside the Box) – Intervention component to reduce television viewing for incorporation into an evidence-based multi-component school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention.
CATCH Nutrition Plus - Adapt, revise and augment the CATCH curriculum to reflect current research and expert opinion on diet-related obesity prevention strategies among children.
PASS & CATCH (Physical Activity and Student Success Coordinated Approach To Child Health) – Investigation of the role of school-based physical activity on indicators of academic performance among elementary school children.
Selected References:
Luepker R, Perry C, McKinlay S et al. Outcomes of a field trial to improve children’s dietary patterns and physical activity. JAMA. 1996;275(110): 768-776.
Nader PR, Stone EJ, Lytle LA, Perry CL, Osganian SK, Kelder S, Webber LS, Elder JP, Montgomery D, Feldman HA, Wu M, Johnson C, Parcel GS, Luepker RV. Three-year maintenance of improved diet and physical activity: the CATCH cohort. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 1999;153:695-704.
Hoelscher, DM, Kelder, SH, Murray, N, Cribb, PW, Conroy, J, & Parcel, GS Dissemination and adoption of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH): a case study in Texas. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 2001; 7(2): 90-100.
Kelder SH, Mitchell, PD, McKenzie TL, Derby C, Strikmiller PK, Parcel, GS, Leupker RV, & Stone, EJ. Long Term Implementation of CATCH Physical Education Health Education & Behavior. 2003. 30(4):463-475.
Hoelscher DM, Feldman HA, Johnson CC, Lytle LA, Osganian SK, Parcel GS, Kelder SH, Stone EJ, Nader PR. School-based health education programs can be maintained over time: Results from the CATCH Institutionalization study. Prev Med. 2004;38: 594-606.
Coleman KJ, Tiller CL, Sanchez J, Heath EM, Oumar S, Milliken G, Dzewaltowski DA Prevention of the Epidemic Increase in Child Risk of Overweight in Low-Income Schools. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159:217-224.
Barosso CS, McCullum C, Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH, Murray NG. Self-reported barriers to quality physical education by physical education specialists in Texas.
Journal of School Health. 2005 Oct;75(8):313-9.
Kelder SH, Hoelscher DM, Barosso C, Walker J, Cribb P. The CATCH Kids Club: A pilot after school study for improving elementary student nutrition and physical activity. Journal of Nutrition Education, 2005, 8(2), 135-140.
Owens N, Glanz K, Sallis J, Kelder S. Evidence-based approaches to dissemination and diffusion of physical activity interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2006 Oct;31(4 Suppl):S35-44.
McCullum-Gomez C, Barosso CS, Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH. Factors Influencing Implementation of the Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) Eat Smart School Nutrition Program in Texas. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 2006 Dec;106(12):2039-44..
Franks A, Kelder S, Dino G, Horn K, Gortmaker S, Wiecha J, Simoes E School-based Programs: Lessons Learned from CATCH, Planet Health, and Not-On-Tobacco. Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health, Research and Policy 2007, 4(4), A 33.
2. Project Northland
Project Northland was a randomized community trial with 28 communities in northeastern Minnesota. The goal of the project was to reduce the onset and prevalence of alcohol use among teens. The first phase was implemented when a cohort of students were in the 6th through 8th grades (1991-1994). The intervention consisted of behavioral curricula in the classroom each year, parent involvement programs, peer leadership opportunities, and community task forces. Students were surveyed at the beginning of 6th grade in Fall 1991, and Spring of 1992-1994. The second phase of Project Northland was implemented when the students were in the 11th and 12th grades and consisted of a classroom curriculum, parent postcards, peer action teams, print media and community organizing in each of the intervention communities. Students were surveyed each year in the Spring of 1995 through 1998. By 1994, the students in the intervention communities reported significantly less alcohol use onset and prevalence; past month and past week use were reduced by 20-30%. For the second high school phase, the rate of growth in alcohol use intentions and behaviors was significantly less among students in the intervention than control schools between 1996 and 1998. The rate of binge drinking was also significantly lower. The project demonstrates that a multi-component community-wide approach to alcohol use prevention can be effective throughout adolescence.
The Project Northland materials are available from Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services (www.hazeldenbookplace.org). Project Northland was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Selected References:
Perry CL, Williams CL, Veblen-Mortenson S, Toomey T, Komro KA, Anstine PS, McGovern G, Finnegan JR, Forster JL, Wagenaar AC, Wolfson M. Project Northland: Outcomes of a community-wide alcohol use prevention program during early adolescence. American Journal of Public Health. 1996;86(7):956-965.
Perry, CL, Williams CL, Komro KA, Veblen-Mortenson S, Stigler MH, Munson KA, Farbakhsh K, Jones RM, Forster JL. Project Northland: Long-term outcomes of community action to reduce adolescent alcohol use. Health Education Research. 2002;16(5):101-116.
Stigler MH, Perry CL, Komro KA, Cudeck R, Williams CL. Teasing apart a multiple component approach to alcohol use prevention: What worked in Project Northland? Prevention Science. 2006;7:269-280.
3. Project Northland Chicago
Project Northland Chicago is an adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of Project Northland in 61 schools and neighborhoods in inner-city Chicago. Students in the 6th grade in Fall 2002 in the 61 schools were recruited to participate in the study. Schools were grouped by neighborhood area and then randomized to intervention or delayed-program control groups. The sample size was ~4000 students. Students in the intervention schools were exposed to school curricula, parental involvement programs, peer leadership opportunities, and neighborhood community organizing during their 6th-8th grade years (2002-2005). Students were surveyed in Fall 2002 and Spring 2003-2005, using classroom-based surveys administered by study staff. The project is currently in its last year of funding (2006-2007) and data analyses are underway.
Selected References:
Kelli A. Komro KA, Perry CL, Veblen-Mortenson S, Bosma LM, Dudovitz BS, Williams CL, Jones-Webb R, Toomey TL. Brief Report: The Adaptation of Project Northland for Urban Youth. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2004;29(6):457-466.
IMPACT was a two-year (2000-2002), school based health education intervention aimed at improving bone health by promoting calcium containing foods and physical activity in middle school girls. The three components of IMPACT were: 1) the development and evaluation of a physical activity and nutrition curriculum; 2) physical education focusing on increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and weight bearing activities; 3) and the promotion of calcium-rich foods in school foodservice.
Selected References:
Sharma, SV, Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH, Day RS, Hergenroeder A. Psychosocial, environmental and behavioral factors associated with bone health in middle-school girls. Health Education Research. 2008 Mar 28. Epub ahead of print.
Jones D, Hoelscher DM, Kelder SH, Hergenroeder A, Sharma SV. Increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary activity in adolescent girls – the Incorporating More Physical Activity and Calcium in Teens (IMPACT) study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2008;5(42).
5. Project MYTRI (Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco-Related Initiatives in India)
Project MYTRI is a randomized controlled trial designed to develop, implement, and evaluate the efficacy of a tobacco prevention intervention for school-going youth in urban India. The project is a partnership between researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health and HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Delhi, India. The trial involves about 15,000 students in 32 schools in 2 cities in India, including Delhi (northern India) and Chennai (southern India). The goal of the intervention is to prevent the onset and reduce the prevalence of tobacco use – including cigarette smoking, chewing tobacco, and bidi smoking. The intervention is conducted over two consecutive school years and consists of classroom curricula, school posters, parent postcards, and peer-led health activism. It was designed for two cohorts of students, who were in 6th and 8th grade when the study began, in 2004. To evaluate the efficacy of the intervention, these students have participated in repeated surveys: at baseline (2004), after one year of intervention (2005), and after two years of intervention (2006). The baseline data showed a surprising trend in regards to early tobacco use, with 6th graders reporting more tobacco use than the 8th graders. Analyses are currently underway to determine the impact of this school-based intervention.
Funding for this project is provided by the Fogarty International Center, that part of the National Institutes of Health that supports health-related research overseas in international settings.
Selected References:
Arora M, Reddy, KS, Stigler MH, Perry CL. Associations between tobacco marketing and use among urban youth in India. American Journal of Health Behavior. 2008; 32(3):283-294.
Perry CL, Stigler MH, Arora M, Reddy KS. Prevention in translation: Tobacco use prevention in India. Health Promotion Practice. 2006; doi:10.1177/1524839906289222.
Reddy KS, Perry CL, Stigler MH, Arora M. Differences in tobacco use among young people in urban India by sex, socioeconomic status, age and school grade: Assessment of baseline survey data. The Lancet. 2006;367;589-594.
Stigler MH, Perry CL, Arora M, Reddy, KS. Why are urban Indian 6th graders using more tobacco than 8th graders?: Findings from Project MYTRI. Tobacco Control. 2006;15:54-60.
6. Project ACTIVITY (Advancing Cessation of Tobacco In Vulnerable Indian Tobacco Consuming Youth)
Project ACTIVITY is a group-randomized, controlled intervention trial designed to develop, implement, and test the efficacy of a comprehensive, community-based tobacco control intervention program for disadvantaged youth (10-19 y). Twenty slum clusters (slums and adjacent resettlement colonies) in Delhi will be recruited to participate in the trial, matched, and randomized to receive the tobacco intervention or serve as a control (and receive vision care). The intervention is based on formative research recently conducted in this setting and includes four components: (a) training workshops for adult- and youth-leaders in the slum community; (b) community-based cessation clinics, staffed by these adult- and youth-leaders; (c) interactive community-based activities for youth (e.g., street plays, street games, etc.), led by these adult- and youth-leaders; and (d) policy enforcement (e.g., no sale of tobacco to minors; no smoking in public places, etc.). A cohort of about 5,000 youth in the slum communities will be followed over time and surveyed before, during, and after the program’s implementation. Qualitative research techniques will be employed throughout the study as well, to evaluate the program and study the etiology of tobacco use among youth in this context. Project ACTIVITY is funded by a grant from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health, administered to HRIDAY (Health-Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth; an NGO in Delhi; K. Srinath Reddy, PI) and the University of Texas SPH (Cheryl Perry, PI). In addition to the research study, the grant also provides support to build capacity in the public health workforce in India, through curricular programs it will develop for new and emerging schools of public health throughout the country there (Public Health Foundation of India; or www.phfi.org).
7. Lunch in the Bag
Lunch in the Bag is a program designed to increase the number of fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods packed by parents in children’s sack lunches in child-care settings. Lunch in the Bag is funded by the National Cancer Institute through a subcontract with the University of Texas at Austin. The intervention includes newsletters for parents of children in daycare with activities for children and child-care centers.
8. P.L.A.N.T. Gardens (Preschoolers Learn About Nutrition Through Gardens)
The P.L.A.N.T. Gardens program is designed to reduce overweight and obesity through a gardening curriculum by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity among Harris County preschoolers. The P.L.A.N.T. Gardens program focuses on low-income, primarily Hispanic and African- American 3-5 year olds who are enrolled in the Head Start program. P.L.A.N.T. Gardens provides these young students with a new, healthier menu that introduces them to fruits and vegetables that they are unfamiliar with such as broccoli. Through the interactive gardening program, students will be able to take part in physical activity as well as gain a greater knowledge of healthy foods available to them and their environment.
9. Sprouting Healthy Communities
The Sprouting Healthy Communities (SHC) project is a comprehensive community-based project, developed by the Sustainable Food Center (SFC), a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas with extensive input of target stake holders. SHC targets community members of low-income communities through multiple components using various strategies (see Logic Model). The six specific components include: 1) middle-school in-class food system lessons, 2) an after-school gardening program for middle school students, 3) a middle-school cafeteria component, 4) community and elementary school gardens, 5) The Happy Kitchen cooking program for parents, and 6) farm stands at WIC clinics. Utilizing existing relationships, SFC will implement SHC in middle-schools and their surrounding communities in east Austin. Our evaluation team will evaluate the impact of the SHC intervention on adolescents’ F&V consumption using a repeated measures (pre-test, intermediate, and post-test) comparison group design with adolescents recruited through middle-schools located in low-income, mostly Hispanic/Latino and African American communities.
10. The ENRICH Project (ENviRonmental Interventions in Children’s Homes)
The ENRICH Project is a five year study to test the effectiveness of a structural intervention designed to create and sustain Residential Children’s Homes’ (RCH) environments that support and promote healthful eating and physical activity among children and adolescents. Based on the Structural Ecologic Model, ENRICH specifically targets 4 constructs in the RCHs: (1) availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables (FV) and physical activity (PA) opportunities, (2) physical structures or characteristics of the FV and PA opportunities, (3) social structures and policies related to FV and PA, and (4) media and cultural messages promoting FV and PA. Changes in these 4 constructs will be made by wellness teams established at each RCH. After a standardized training by ENRICH staff, each Wellness Team systematically assesses it’s own home environment according to the 4 Structural Ecologic Model’s constructs. Based on this assessment, each Wellness Team will develop and complete plans to support and promote healthful eating and physical activity in children who live at the RCH. The impact of this intervention on the RCH’s environments and on the physical activity behavior and FV intake of the children who reside in the homes will be assessed using a quasi-experimental research design.
This research is funded by the Duke Endowment Foundation and focuses on Residential Children’s Homes in North and South Carolina. Established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is one of the nation’s largest private foundations. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., its mission is to serve the people of North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting selected programs of higher education, health care, children’s welfare and spiritual life.
Qué Sabrosa Vida is a community based nutrition initiative, in the Paso del Norte region of the Texas-Mexico border that promotes healthier eating habits with instructional classes for families. The program provides individual level classes to promote healthier eating habits by teaching basic nutrition and cooking skills that people can easily incorporate into their daily lives. The design, development of educational materials, supervision of community agencies delivering the program and evaluation among this predominately Hispanic population are handled by the Center staff.
Selected References:
Sharma, SV, Gernand, A, Day, RS. Nutrition knowledge predicts eating behavior of all food groups except fruits and vegetables among adults in the Paso Del Norte region in Texas. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2008;40:361-368. PMID: 18984492
Smith, W, Day, RS, Brown, LB. Heritage retention and bean intake correlates to dietary fiber intakes in Hispanic Mothers—Qué Sabrosa Vida. Journal of American Dietetic Association. 2005;105(3):404-411 & discussion 411-412.
Paso del Norte Health Foundation. Are we eating well? A Report on the Nutrition Status of the Paso Del Norte Health Region. December, 2003.
12. Active Play Project
The Active Play Project is a 22-month research project funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation that aims to assess:
a.) the amount of time 3rd grade children attending low-income schools in Travis County engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during recess and school activity break time,
b.) the effect of low-cost strategies for harnessing the social and physical contexts of recess time to promote MVPA.
Strategies that will be explored include: peer-led physical activity breaks, teacher-led physical activity breaks, teacher encouragement for physical activity during recess, and playground markings on children’s engagement in MVPA. The proposed project will take place over a two-year period in 12 central Texas elementary schools. Michele Rusnak, PE Coordinator for Austin Independent School District (AISD), is a key partner with the project and will be collaborating with the design of intervention strategies and recruitment of study schools, among other key tasks. The project is being spearheaded by Dr. Andrew Springer, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus, Dr. Steve Kelder, Co-Investigator and Professor, UTSPH Austin, and Dr. Nalini Ranjit, Co-Investigator, UTSPH Austin. The project will be carried out in partnership with Austin Independent School District under the leadership of Ms. Michele Rusnak, Physical Education Coordinator- AISD, Ms. Pat Werner, M.Ed., Health and Physical Education Specialist-AISD, and Ms. Tracy Diggs Lunoff, M.Ed., Coordinator of School Health for AISD. For more information on the project, please contact Dr. Springer at: Andrew.e.springer@uth.tmc.edu.
Epidemiology and Community Assessment
The overall goal of SPAN is to establish a surveillance system to monitor the prevalence of overweight/obesity in school-aged children in Texas. This surveillance system allows researchers to identify and track trends in childhood obesity. In addition, SPAN identifies factors in Texas students that may underlie obesity, including dietary behaviors, nutrition knowledge and attitudes, and physical activity.
Selected References:
Springer AE, Hoelscher DM, Castrucci B, Perez A, Kelder SH. Prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviors by metropolitan status in 4th-, 8th-, and 11th-grade students in Texas, 2004-2005. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2009;6(1):A21.
Penkilo M, George GC, Hoelscher DM. Reproducibility of the school-based nutrition monitoring questionnaire among fourth-grade students in Texas. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2008;40(1):20-27.
A collaborative study with the Universidad Autonoma de Tampaulipas- Facultad de Medicina in Tampaulipas, Mexico that aims to assess the reproducibility of physical activity and nutrition self-report measures for primary school students in Mexico. The project is supported by a small International Program award from the UTHSC Office of International Programs and will take place between October 2006 and May 2007.
3. The Epidemiology and Etiology of Obesity Among Adolescents in Urban India
The obesity epidemic is beginning to emerge among those most affluent in India. In this study, more than 5,000 students in 8th and 10th grade Private (higher SES) and Government (lower SES) schools in Delhi are being surveyed to (a) estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-going youth in this setting; (b) determine behavioral factors, like dietary intake and physical activity, that are related to being overweight and obese; and (c) examine whether “westernization” is associated with obesogenic patterns of dietary intake and physical activity. The survey is being conducted with students in 8th and 10th grade.
Funding for this project is provided by the Obesity Prevention Center (OPC) at the University of Minnesota. The study uses the infrastructure available on Project MYTRI.
4. MACC (Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort)
The MACC study is a longitudinal, cohort study of adolescents, ages 11-14 in 2000, and surveyed by phone every six months (now 14 data points for each student), and still ongoing. Each adolescent was selected randomly from Geo-Political Units that represent the State of Minnesota. The goal of the study is to document the incidence, prevalence and progression of tobacco use among adolescents in Minnesota, and to relate tobacco use to smoking prevention efforts in communities and the State, as funded by the State through the tobacco settlement monies. The analyses for this study are ongoing.
5. Molecular Epidemiology of Pancreatic Cancer
Through a collaborative relationship with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, investigators are conducting a hospital based case control study of genetic and environmental factors involved in the etiology of pancreatic cancer. The scope of the study includes assessment of carcinogen exposure from cigarettes, diet, heterocyclic aromatic amines, and measurements of genetic variability to carcinogen metabolism. Staff of the center developed the dietary assessment procedures and conducts the nutrient analyses of the dietary related data.
Selected References:
Li D, Day RS, Bondy ML, Sinha R, Nguyen NT, Evans DB, Abbruzzese JL, Hassan MM. Dietary mutagen exposure and risk of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 2007;16(4):655-61.
Suzuki H, Jiao L, Li Y, Doll MA, Hein DW, Hassan MH, Day RS, Bondy ML, Abbruzzese JL, Li D. Interaction of the Cytochrome P4501A2, SULT1A1 and NAT gene polymorphisms with smoking and dietary mutagen intake in modification of the risk of pancreatic cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2008;29(6):1184-91. Epub 2008 May 21.
Undertaken by a 10-member consortium of federal and Texas government agencies and Texas institutions of higher education, is the first program of its scope to select the Hispanic community as a focus for studying nutritional health and disproportionate rates of nutrition-related health problems. The consortium has documented the nutrition programs and services currently in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) through an interview survey of the region. The group has published a Monograph describing the nutrition related health problems, the nutrition services and programs, and the environmental, health and cultural needs of the LRGV.
Selected References:
Day, RS (Ed.) Nourishing the Future: The case for community-based nutrition research in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Houston: The University of Texas School of Public Health, 2004.
Day, RS, Sanderson, M, Bogle, ML. Food and nutrition programs. In R.S. Day (Ed.), Nourishing the Future: The Case for community-based nutrition research in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Houston: The University of Texas School of Public Health, 2004.
Hoelscher, DM, Day, RS. Nutrition-related health issues: Obesity. In R.S. Day (Ed.), Nourishing the Future: The Case for community-based nutrition research in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Houston: The University of Texas School of Public Health, 2004.
7. Surgeon General’s Report - Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, 2010
The 2010 Report will seek to update the 1994 Report, “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People.” The 2010 report will update the 1994 review, with more of a global perspective on youth tobacco use, as well as a more comprehensive look at the literature on the link between tobacco company marketing practices and youth tobacco use.
8. Measures of Dietary Intake and Physical Activity for Indian Youth
The purpose of this study is to measure dietary habits and their relationship to weight status among Indian adolescents in the 8th grade in Delhi, India. One hundred and fifty students enrolled in the 8th grade in one private and one government school in India will participate in the study. The school-based nutrition and physical activity monitoring questionnaire (SPAN) will be adapted to reflect the Indian dietary habits based on existing databases in India. This study will provide the basis for a larger-scale evaluation of future interventions designed to prevent childhood obesity in India (e.g., “translation” of CATCH). This project is supported by a small International Program award from the UTHSC Office of International Programs.
The objective for the CVD Core is to develop expertise in South Texas for youth CVD and obesity prevention by exporting currently funded child and adolescent health projects of faculty from the Houston School of Public Health into the South Texas area and Brownsville, a regional SPH campus.
10. Marathon Kids Evaluation Project
Under a two-year subcontract with Marathon Kids and funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Steve Kelder, PH, has begun laying the groundwork to carry out a process and impact evaluation of the Marathon Kids Program. Marathon Kids is a six month endurance-building running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening project for K-5th graders and their families. Marathon Kids works through a network of teacher, parent, and community volunteers that recruits elementary school-aged children into the program, assists in tracking miles and consumption of fruits and vegetables, and facilitates engagement in program goals. Marathon Kids currently operates in ~700 elementary schools and six U.S. cities, reaching approximately 100,000 elementary school-age children. The evaluation team will begin pilot-testing measurement instruments this spring as well as collecting pilot data for the 1-year evaluation.
11. An economic evaluation of increasing the scale of breakfast provision in Texas elementary schools
The purpose of this grant is to estimate the effects of the school breakfast program on school-level student outcomes such as TAKS scores and discipline. We will survey schools in order to estimate the costs of providing school breakfasts. We will then estimate the potential school-level benefits (higher TAKS scores, better discipline), as compared to the costs of increasing the numbers of student receiving breakfasts.
12. Active Texas 2020
The objective of this project is to promote disease prevention and health promotion by helping organizations and multiple sectors make physical activity and exercise as important a health priority as tobacco control and good nutrition. A 10-year blueprint detailing proven strategies that will help schools, medical care organizations, employers, municipal leaders, transportation planners, parks and wildlife leaders and community leaders find and implement proven strategies for helping make exercise and physical activity a health priority throughout the State of Texas. Investigators in the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living conceptualized and are leading this effort. Working with Governor's office, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Education Agency, health and medical care providers throughout the state, and various municipal leaders from throughout Texas, this project has the potential of affecting the lives of all Texans by improving health through promotion of exercise and physical activity.
Active Texas 2020 Video
13. Mueller Healthy Community Initiative: Evaluation of an Urban Redevelopment on Health of Residents
In early 2008, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution to develop the Mueller Healthy Community Initiative, a new plan that will include recommendations regarding environmental and policy interventions, programs, and services that optimize health, and methods for measuring selected health indicators over time. The purpose of this study is to use multiple methods to assess the redevelopment process to date and to establish baseline health and physical activity levels for Mueller and surrounding neighborhood residents. The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department will use the developed tools to measure impact over time. Furthermore, per the request of the Austin City Council, and with funding through the Texas Department of State Health Services, these findings will be used to develop policy recommendations for the Mueller Healthy Community Initiative and for the redevelopment of additional land, such as former military bases, throughout the City of Austin and the State of Texas.
The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston is conducting this study to learn about a bacterial infection, called Helicobacter pylori infection, that often infects very young children. This infection occurs in the stomach and does not usually make children feel sick. In some people the infection lasts many years and causes stomach diseases at older ages. What we learn from studying young children will help us know more about how to prevent this infection in communities where it causes health problems in adults. Data collected during this study include an extensive dietary assessment of the children, developed and analyzed by Center staff.
Selected References:
Goodman, KJ, O’Rourke, K, Day, RS, Redlinger, T, Sanchez, J, Wang, C, Campos, A, de la Rosa, M. Establishment of a binational cohort to study Helicobacter pylori infection in children. Ethnicity and Disease. 2003;13(3):387-394.
O’Rourke, K, Goodman, KJ, Grazioplene, M, Redlinger, T, Day, RS. Determinants of geographic variation in Helicobacter pylori infection among children on the US-Mexico border. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2003;158(8):816-824.
Goodman, KJ, O’Rourke, K, Day, RS, Wang C, Redlinger, T, Campos, A, de la Rosa, M. Helicobacter pylori infection in pregnant women from a US Mexico border population. Journal of Immigrant Health. 2003;5(3):99-107.
Goodman, KJ, O’Rourke, K, Day, RS, Wang, C, Nurgalieva, Z, Phillips, CV, Aragaki, C, Campos, A, de la Rosa, M. Dynamics of Helicobacter pylori infection in a US-Mexico cohort during the first two years of life. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2005;34(6):1348-1355.
15. Body Image Perceptions Among Mexican Americans
The purpose of this project is to examine the cultural beliefs about body size and shape that may affect physical activity and obesity. As part of this research, children, parents, and grandparents will be surveyed about their perceptions of healthy body types. Participants will be asked to view sketches of body silhouettes and select the body type they perceive as healthy and the type which most resembles their own. Physical activity in children will also be assessed and measured through self-reporting questionnaires and an accelerometer, a device that is worn on the belt and senses movement to accurately measure physical activity. Dr. Cristina Barroso, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus and Dr. Jennifer Gay, Assistant Professor at The University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus will carry out this project. Dr. Barroso’s application was among 90 applications received from Salud America! This is a two-year grant funded by Salud America!, a national research network on Latino childhood obesity funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Policy Related Projects
1. Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation (T-COPPE) Project
The Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation (T-COPPE) project will evaluate the implementation and impact of two policies in Texas: (1) the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program administered through the Texas Department of Transportation; and (2) the program rule revising the federal food allocation package administered through Texas Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, Texas Department of State Health Services. The project builds upon substantial ongoing statewide attention to childhood obesity prevention at the state level by coordinating its activities with the Live Smart Texas (LST) Steering Committee and by utilizing the Texas Obesity Research Academic Advisory Council as an internal statewide sounding board for issues surrounding policy research, implementation, dissemination, and action. Co-Led by the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus (Co-PI: Deanna Hoelscher) and the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health (Co-PI: Marcia Ory) this project draws in expertise from multiple academic centers, state agencies, policy institutes, and community organizations throughout the State of Texas.
2. The Impact of Senate Bill 19 on Elementary School Children’s Level of Physical Activity
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact this bill has on school physical activity, school physical education policy, child physical activity, and child overweigh with particular attending being paid to schools in regions heavily populated with low-income and Hispanics, especially the Texas-Mexico border. Researchers are using school staff questionnaires, direct observation of physical education, and comparative studies to gauge the effects.
3. The Impact of Texas Senate Bill 42 on Middle School Children’s Level of Physical Activity
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the bill on school physical education, child physical activity, and child overweight in 129 public middle schools. The project compliments the study of the Impact of Senate Bill 19 by following similar research procedures and focusing on the Texas-Mexico border.
School Health Education
HEADS UP is a project designed to excite students about science and health science careers through implementation of multimedia science curricula. Materials are developed by health science experts and K-12 educators and designed to meet Texas and National Science Education Standards. Multimedia science curriculum modules provide teachers in Houston, the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and other areas in Texas and beyond with cutting-edge health science content with a variety of careers highlighted. The project is aimed at middle school science and high school biology students, teachers in Houston, the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and other areas in Texas and beyond receive cutting-edge health science content. Presented in a video format with peer and scientist role models and colorful images/animation, content is reinforced with classroom activities, glossaries, and assessment tools. A variety of careers are highlighted with mini biographies of scientists and other professionals.
Other project components include teacher professional development, parent education, and Elementary School Science Corners. Major collaborators include The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston and the Brownsville Regional Campus and School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the University Clinical Research Center, Spring Branch and Houston Independent School Districts, Project GRAD Houston, and The Health Museum.
Selected references:
Murray NG, Opuni KA, Reininger B, Sessions N, Schuler KE, Mowry MM, Hobbs M. Multimedia Curriculum Increases Science Achievement Among Inner-City Non-Asian Minority Middle-School Students. Academic Medicine. In Press.
School Preparedness
This project will conduct a needs assessment in the state of Texas to determine any state mandates and trainings offered to school districts on school emergency preparedness and crisis planning. A training module will be developed in regards to nutrition and physical activity needs related to emergency responses which will be incorporated into coordinated school health program trainings.
Capacity Building
1. Building Research Capacity for Physical Activity and Public Health in Brazil
The objective of this project is ultimately to build research capacity for physical activity and public health in Brazil by organizing and hosting international trainings, promoting scientific exchange, and strengthening an existing working collaboration among the co-principal investigators. This objective will be achieved by addressing four specific aims with the support of the CAPES-University of Texas Research Program:
- Formalize and enhance an existing Physical Activity and Public Health Visiting Scholars program designed to host Brazilian researchers in the US.
- Organize and execute a series of three workshops designed to develop and enhance research capacity in Brazil for physical activity and public health.
- Prepare and submit two manuscripts for publication for international research directions and capacity building for physical activity and public health.
- Develop and prepare a grant proposal to leverage CAPES support into a broader, long term effort in Brazil.
