Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention Research Core

Goals:
The overall goal of this research core is to develop a package of assessment tools and intervention materials that can be utilized in health promotion and disease prevention programs in local African American communities. A secondary goal is to document the process involved in achieving the primary goal. In order to achieve the primary goal, the following objectives are proposed:

Objective 1: To gather tools for the assessment of physical activity and dietary patterns and to gather intervention materials designed to promote physical activity and the prevention/treatment of obesity.

Objective 2: To examine the psychometric characteristics of the assessment tools and to document key characteristics of the intervention materials (e.g., reading level, population for whom materials were originally developed).

Objective 3: Using focus groups and key interviews within local African-American communities, evaluate the cultural sensitivity of the tools and intervention materials, and determine the feasibility of their use within the local African- African American communities.

Objective 4: Based on the findings of objective 2 and 3, identify the most appropriate assessment tools and intervention materials and, if necessary, further modify and/or enhance them for use in local African American communities.

We will document the steps taken to achieve the above objectives and the specific procedures used to collect data from the focus groups and key interviews. At the end of the evaluation process, this will be collated into a manual of procedures that will be available to other interested investigators and community groups. In addition, we will produce a summary of our findings and conclusions about the psychometric and key characteristics of assessment and intervention materials. This document will be made available to other interested parties.