Events

2005 Faculty Research Fellowship Recipients

Child Obesity

Dr. Helda Pinzon Perez, Department of Health Science
The Influence on Childhood Obesity of Television Ads as Related to Food Selection of Latino Farm Working Mothers in Fresno County

Dr. Wade Gilbert, Department of Kinesiology
Intervention to Increase Secondary Physical Education Students' Fitness Quotient (FQ)

Healthy Aging

Dr. Vicki Krenz, Department of Health Science
December 16, 2008 County

Dr. Anne Petrovich, Department of Social Work Education
Promoting Healthy Aging in Central California: Comparing Barriers to Services, as Perceived by Recipients, Family Caregivers and Service Providers

Dr. Annie Burke Doe, Department of Physical Therapy
California Bones of Steel: Osteoporosis Education and Risk Factor Assessment

Dr. Angela Hudson, Department of Nursing
California Bones of Steel: Osteoporosis Education and Risk Factor Assessment

Abstracts

The Influence on Childhood Obesity of Television Ads as Related to Food Selection of Latino Farm Working Mothers in Fresno County

Childhood obesity is an important problem in the Central Valley. In 2001, seven counties in the Central California Valley reported more than 20% incidence of overweight children and adolescents. Much has been speculated about the influence of mass media in food selection, but no scientific information is available about the influence of television ads in food selection patterns of Latino mothers. Moreover, less information is even available for farm working mothers in the Central Valley.

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of television ads on foods that Latino farm working mothers select for their children age 5 and younger. This study will involve 8 focus groups with 56 mothers who have children up to five years old attending the childhood centers of the Migrant Head Start program in Fresno County. Focus group questions will address the effect that television ads have had on Latino mothers' cultural beliefs regarding nutritional foods, and the effects of these ads on the purchase of fast foods, sodas, fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for their children age 5 and younger.

This study will provide the scientific community with insights on the effects of mass media nutritional messages on cultural beliefs among Latino mothers and their influence on food selection.

Fitness Competency Intervention for Grade 9 Students

The purpose of this project is to assess the effectiveness of a social psychological intervention on improving fitness competency in Central California secondary school students. The components of a student’s fitness competency are based on the learning domains for activity-based settings: (a) fitness attitude and self efficacy, (b) fitness knowledge, and (c) health-related physical fitness.

The 2003 state fitness tests show that only 25% of the 1.3 million students met the minimum standards on all fitness test components. This problem is much more significant in Central California and specifically in Fresno. While 24.8% of California students in grade 9 met all of the fitness standards, this level of fitness was achieved by only 8.9% of Fresno students. Even more disturbing is the difference in the number of secondary school students who could not meet even one of the six fitness test standards (45.8% in Fresno versus 6.3% statewide).

The proposed research will use a quasi-experimental intervention design with four intact co-ed physical education classes at one high school. The intervention will be limited to 8-weeks and will be based on the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model (Welk, 1999). Each fitness competency component will be measured before and after the intervention. Fitness attitude will be assessed with the Children’s Attitudes Towards Physical Activity inventory. Due to the importance of self-efficacy in determining physical activity behaviors and attitudes, the Physical Fitness Self-Efficacy Scale will also be administered. Fitness knowledge will be assessed by administering a written test designed for the current project. Health-related fitness will be measured with the Fitnessgram test battery. A grant proposal has been submitted to the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) to test the intervention with a larger sample over a 12-week period in fall 2005. Future grant proposals will seek funds to also test the intervention in multiple schools across Central California and beyond.

Asthma Prevalence Among Elderly (65+ years) in Fresno County

Asthma is a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States and California. The prevalence of lifetime asthma increased 74 percent over the last two decades in the United States. According to the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), in 2001 an estimated 11.9% or 3.9 million Californians reported that they have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives, compared to the national average of 10.1%. In 2000, over 500 people died from asthma in California. Asthma is a significant health problem among the elderly. Among the elderly, it can often be mistaken for other chronic diseases and may have a synergistic effect with other chronic conditions. The estimated prevalence of asthma in the San Joaquin Valley Counties is 10.9 and the lifetime asthma prevalence rates among those 65-100 years in the Central California counties nearly meets or exceeds that of the state level. Of particular concern, Fresno County is the highest county in the region for asthma symptom prevalence among the elderly. Unfortunately, little data on hospital emergency room visits and physician office visits on asthma among the elderly is available, particularly for the Central Valley region. Furthermore, there is no data that links asthma prevalence among the elderly with geographical locations in the region.

The specific goals of the project are to:
1) determine the impact of asthma and asthma-related diseases among the elderly in Fresno County;
2) determine the rate of hospital emergency room visits for asthma among the elderly (65+ years) in Fresno County; and,
3) identify potential environmental triggers related to the rural geographical location of asthma among the elderly.

Methodology. The proposed project is a collaboration with Mr. Kevin Hamilton, R.R.T., Director of the Asthma Education and Management Center (AEMC) at Fresno Community Hospital. The proposed study is a retrospective cohort epidemiological study design. A census sample of data records from all eligible patients (65+ years) treated by the AEMC will be used in this secondary analysis. Using this existing database, data will be analyzed for asthma codes (ICD-9) and diagnostic-related groups (DRGs). Data to be collected will include: demographic information (age, ethnicity/race, length of residence in the Central Valley, and type of insurance coverage), clinical data (documented co-morbidities such as COPD, other respiratory conditions, obesity, and diabetes), asthma data (age of first asthma symptoms and diagnosis, medications, peak-flow measurements, hospitalizations, dates and number of emergency medical room visits, dates and number of reported physician office visits, and dates and number of visits to the AEMC), and environmental triggers (exposure to secondhand smoke, air quality, chemicals, mold, animal dander, pollen, and viral respiratory infections). Multiple analysis of variance will be conducted to evaluate the study hypotheses, using age as the independent variable and severity of asthma symptoms (mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent) as dependent variables. Covariates will include demographic, co-morbidities, insurance, and environmental variables. Trend analysis will be used to evaluate changes in secular trends associated with asthma prevalence by comparing the rates of disease with environmental triggers. In addition, odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals will be used to measure statistically significant differences between the study variables.

Promoting Healthy Aging in Central California: Comparing Barriers to Services, as Perceived by Recipients, Family Caregivers and Service Providers

In initial inquiries to two community providers, the lack of utilization of existing services designed to promote healthy aging were mentioned as important problems. Specifically, although many residents of San Joaquin Gardens Retirement Community, a faith-based non-profit corporation, are assessed upon admission as having significant vision impairment, very few utilize an existing, on-site support group or attend educational presentations focused on coping with the aging eye.

Similarly, staff members of Fresno County In-home Supportive Services, a publicly funded program for low-income seniors, report that too few of their clients utilize adult day health centers, despite available transportation, Medi-Cal coverage, and continued requests for referrals for Adult Health staff. In partnership with the aforementioned community organizations, the researcher intends to explore barriers to service, as perceived by the clients who are the recipients, their family members or other caregivers, and agency staff.

Questionnaires addressing possible barriers and allowing for open-ended additional entries will be distributed to clients, residents, and caregivers; agency staff will assist with their completion, as needed. Results will be quantified and analyzed, utilizing descriptive statistics, in order to determine differences in perception between givers and recipients of service concerning barriers to participation, with special focus on how barriers important to recipients of service may be overcome.

California Bones of Steel: Osteoporosis Education and Risk Factor Assessment

The purpose of this study is to determine whether an osteoporosis educational and risk factor assessment curriculum can be successful in identifying osteoporosis risk at its earliest stage (secondary prevention) so that prompt and appropriate management can be initiated in the community dwelling elderly population of Fresno County.

More specifically, the aims of this project are to 1) develop an educational curriculum related to osteoporosis, 2) develop a multifactorial comprehensive osteoporosis risk factor assessment 3) assess community dwelling seniors for modifiable and non modifiable risk for osteoporosis and 4) to answer the following questions a) What is the prevalence of symptoms associated with fall or fracture among community dwelling elderly men and women? b) Do elderly men and women differ significantly in the number of symptoms associated with fall or fracture? c) What specific symptoms are associated with fall or fracture in community dwelling elderly men and women?

Fifty men and women 50 years or older from the greater Fresno area who are able to get out of a chair independently, walk at least 50 feet without an assistive device, have a self-reported balance deficit or a history of falls or a fear of falls will be recruited to participate in this study. Subjects will participate in a class held two times a week over an eight week period. The class will be composed of curriculum related to defining osteoporosis, its causes, and factors related to development of the disease. The curriculum will also incorporate risk assessment for twenty key factors of developing and identifying osteoporosis and its sequelae.

Data will be analyzed for the number of risk factors present versus total risk factors assessed and a risk ratio will be determined. A high risk ratio will potentially identify sub clinical osteoporosis. The subjects will receive one dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to determine the presence of osteopenia or osteoporosis which will be compared to the risk ratio to determine its value in determining sub clinical osteoporosis.

Determination of osteoporosis at its earliest stage and educating populations at risk can potentially reduce prevalence and the debilitating effects of the disease.