Improving Health Behaviors Through Community Engagement: Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana. Issue 1 (January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Broyles, Stephanie T.; Gollub, Elizabeth A.; Tohme, Allison; Katzmarzyk, Peter T.
• Is Part Of: Health promotion practice. Volume 21:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 106
• Page End: 113
• Publication Date: 2020-01
• Subjects: obesity -- collective action -- physical activity -- dietary intake; Health promotion -- Periodicals; Health promotion -- United States -- Periodicals; Health education -- Periodicals; Health education -- United States -- Periodicals; 613
• DOI: 10.1177/1524839918792018
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1524-8399

Abstract

There is increasing recognition that community-based approaches may have merit in improving physical activity and healthy eating behaviors. The "Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana" program supported twelve projects that addressed the root causes of obesity through integrated community-level changes. Partnerships provided community-based obesity prevention by promoting healthier eating and/or physical activity through enhanced infrastructure, policy changes, and programming. To evaluate whether the program resulted in changes in healthy eating and/or physical activity among adults, surveys were conducted pre- and postintervention among participants. Participants who were exposed to physical activity programs were more likely to adopt the consumption of fruits (odds ratio = 2.0; 95% confidence interval [1.1, 3.6]), were more likely to eat vegetables once per day ( p = .028), and were more likely to participate in physical activity ( p = .053). Participants who were exposed to healthy eating programs were more likely to eat fruit once per day ( p = .035), were more likely to eat vegetables at least once per day ( p = .008), and were more likely to participate in physical activity ( p = .018). In conclusion, there is some indication that the Challenge for a Healthier Louisiana program produced changes in health behaviors among program participants; however, the sustainability of these changes will require further evaluation.