A content analysis of food advertisements appearing in parenting magazines.

OBJECTIVE: Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the USA. As parents play a major role in shaping a child's diet, the present study examines food advertisements (ads) directed towards parents in parenting and family magazines. DESIGN: Given the potential for magazines to influence attitudes and knowledge, we used content analysis to examine the food ads appearing in four issues each of six different parenting and family magazines from 2008 (n 24). SETTING: USA. SUBJECTS: Food ads in parenting and family magazines. RESULTS: We identified 476 food ads, which represented approximately 32 % of all ads in the magazine sample. Snack foods (13 %) were the most frequently observed food ads, followed by dairy products (7 %). The most frequently used sales theme was 'taste' (55 %). Some ads promoted foods as 'healthy' (14 %) and some made specific health claims (18 %), such as asserting the product would help lower cholesterol. In addition to taste and health and nutrition appeals, we found several themes used in ad messages to promote products, including the following: 'convenience', 'economical', 'fun' and 'helping families spend time together'. We also found that over half (n 405, 55·9 %) of products (n 725) advertised were products of poor nutritional quality based on total fat, saturated fat, sodium, protein, sugar and fibre contents, and that ads for such products were slightly more likely to use certain sales themes like 'fun' (P = 0·04) and 'no guilt' (P = 0·03). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions should be developed to help parents understand nutritional information seen in food ads and to learn how various foods contribute to providing a balanced family diet.

Process evaluation of Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls: a church-based health intervention program in Baltimore City.

Soaring obesity rates in the United States demand comprehensive health intervention strategies that simultaneously address dietary patterns, physical activity, psychosocial factors and the food environment. Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls (HBHS) is a church-based, community-participatory, cluster-randomized health intervention trial conducted in Baltimore City to reduce diabetes risk among urban African Americans by promoting healthy dietary intake, increased physical activity and improvement to the church food environment. HBHS was organized into five 3-8-week phases: Healthy Beverages, Healthy Desserts, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Snacking and Eating Out and Physical Activity. A three-part process evaluation was adopted to evaluate implementation success: an in-church instrument to assess the reach, dose delivered and fidelity of interactive sessions; a post-intervention exposure survey to assess individual-level dose received in a sample of congregants and an evaluation form to assess the church food environment. Print materials were implemented with moderate to high fidelity and high dose. Program reach was low, which may reflect inaccuracies in church attendance rather than study implementation issues. Intervention components with the greatest dose received were giveaways (42.0-61.7%), followed by taste tests (48.7-53.7%) and posters (34.3-65.0%). The dose received of general program information was moderate to high. The results indicate successful implementation of the HBHS program.

B'More Fit for Healthy Babies: Using Trauma-Informed Care Policies to Improve Maternal Health in Baltimore City.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant obese women have an increased risk for infant mortality and poor maternal outcomes. Environmental and social conditions pose barriers for less-advantaged overweight women to participate in weight loss interventions. The B'more Fit for Healthy Babies Program aimed to address existing gender inequities that persist where exposure to community-level trauma is present. METHODS: A gender-based analysis using qualitative and quantitative approaches informed B'more Fit's intervention and identified opportunities for trauma-informed care policies. Key data sources for analyses included two series of focus groups and a quantitative survey. Review of additional Baltimore-based literature and research also informed policy development. RESULTS: A workgroup formulated policies for B'more Fit staff and participants. Policies involved technical assistance, staff consultation, and gender-sensitive counseling sessions. These activities gained the attention of the Baltimore City Health Department's leadership, and department-wide trainings were conducted. Highly publicized violence in Baltimore led to expanded trauma-informed care training and policy development in all local government agencies through a partnership between the Baltimore City Health Department and Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore, Inc. CONCLUSIONS: The development and monitoring of trauma-informed interventions and policies within governmental and human service agencies can counterbalance social and environmental exposures. Applying a gender-based and trauma-informed program provided B'more Fit participants with strategies for weight loss, improved nutrition, and better parenting. Coordinated policies and interventions are underway in city institutions to address residents' behavioral health needs and improve citywide services.

Building effective partnerships to improve birth outcomes by reducing obesity: The B'more Fit for healthy babies coalition of Baltimore.

Obesity affects a large percentage of Baltimore City's population with repercussions on maternal health and birth outcomes. Approaches to ameliorate its impact must be comprehensive and include stakeholder involvement at all levels of influence including policy makers, service providers, and community residents. In this article, we examine the evolution of the B'more Fit for Healthy Babies Coalition in Baltimore, Maryland, with a specific focus on how the public health alliance was formed, the strategies employed, and how partners continually evaluated themselves. This study offers the opportunity to understand the extent and complexity undergirding the collaborative processes of community coalitions as they strive to find innovative solutions to major public health concerns.

Intentions modify program impact after a nutrition education intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether expressed intentions modified program impact on diet. METHODS: A nutrition education intervention was conducted with African American women in Washington, DC. Dietary recalls and surveys at post-intervention and follow-up were analyzed. RESULTS: At 20-week follow-up, frequent attenders reported .13 more fruit and vegetable servings per additional point post-intervention behavioral intentions score (p = .03) and .10 servings per point on follow-up intentions score (p = .07). CONCLUSIONS: Sustained intentions predicted dietary change, informing measurement and theory for nutrition interventions.