(P24-100-23) Listening to the Community: Identification of Obesity Prevention Strategies for Rural Preschool-Aged Children

Objectives: Multi-level interventions to prevent obesity in preschool-aged children in rural communities are limited. This descriptive study used a participatory approach to engage with community partners to identify and prioritize community settings and intervention strategies for use in an obesity prevention intervention for rural preschool-aged children (2-5 years old).

Methods: Community workshops were held in two rural communities in Indiana [IN] and North Carolina [NC]. Overall, 9-15 community partners participated, including parents, childcare providers, and representatives of community organizations that serve families. Using a discussion guide, participants were asked to specify: factors that influence healthy eating and physical activity (PA) in children; community settings to target in an intervention; and potential intervention strategies for their community. Participants then voted to identify community settings and intervention strategies to prioritize in a potential child obesity intervention. The votes were tallied and summarized descriptively.

Results: Factors influencing diet and PA centered on the child/family (taste preference), organizations (food offerings at schools), and broader community (poor access in built environments). Community settings that participants ranked highest as places to intervene were: educational settings (preschools) (both communities); group gathering places (churches) (both); the home (NC); and recreational facilities (IN). Intervention strategies with the most votes focused on ways to: provide nutrition and PA education to families (both communities); enhance food security (backpack buddy programs) (both); increase access to healthy foods and PA in built environments (pop-up food markets, adding game stencils to playgrounds) (both); increase offerings of healthy foods and PA via organizational partnerships (NC); and incentivize families to be active (IN).

Conclusions: A participatory approach with community partners ensures that obesity prevention interventions target community needs, leverage assets, and consider norms/values. This study’s findings will guide the development of an intervention for the two rural communities, which the study team will then pilot-test.

Funding Sources: NIH; NC TRaCS; Indiana University Bloomington