Document Type

Article

First Advisor

Susan Day

Publication Date

2016

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Discovery; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

In Kankakee County, 14% of individuals live in poverty, and 28.2% of residents report themselves as being obese. A community board called Partnership for a Healthy Community has deemed obesity to be one of the top three priority problems of the county. In light of these statistics regarding Kankakee County and the current research suggesting trends of higher obesity rates among impoverished individuals in developed nations, the project detailed in this paper sought to fulfill an educational deficit regarding healthy lifestyle behaviors among those living in poverty. In addition, the study also sought to determine the effectiveness of two different health curricula and if one curriculum was more effective among this particular audience. The utilized curricula were "5-2-1-0 Let's Go!" and "MyPlate." This study was implemented with the Headstart Preschool at Proegler School of the Kankakee School District #111 in Kankakee, Illinois, and its participants were parents of enrolled preschool children. The parents were divided into two groups, each of which received a presentation utilizing one of the health curricula. Pre- and post-surveys were analyzed to determine any significant increases in health knowledge or perception of knowledge, as well as the participants' own opinions regarding the effectiveness of the presentation. No statistically significant findings were gleaned from survey analysis, though the project goal of providing two educational sessions was ultimately fulfilled. Various suggestions for future research in this area are presented.

Comments

Honors Cohort 6

Abigail (Allen) Muhlstadt

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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