ABSTRACT
Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker program (MIHOW) is a community-based intervention dedicated to enhancing birth outcomes and healthy child development. Trained neighborhood women provide home and group services to underserved families in rural and inner city communities. This report describes MIHOW's history and work in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
Subject(s)
Child Health Services , Community Health Workers , Community-Institutional Relations , Maternal Health Services , Poverty , Appalachian Region , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Louisiana , Mississippi , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
A promising afterschool intervention to increase health knowledge and influence choices to reduce risks related to type II diabetes in school-aged, low-income, African American youth is described. Researchers used a community-based program called CASTLES (Communities and Students Together for Learning Enhanced Service). Repeated measures were used to test the effect of the afterschool program on exercise and nutrition. Forty-six children participated in this free program. Significant results demonstrated decreased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and screen time and increased exercise and health knowledge. Communities interested in influencing behaviors related to childhood obesity should develop strong community-based programs, such as the CASTLES model, incorporating nutrition information and structured physical activity.
