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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151529
Title: THE FUN, FOOD, AND FITNESS PROJECT (FFFP): THE BAYLOR GEMS PILOT STUDY.

Author
item Baranowski, Thomas
item Baranowski, Janice
item Cullen, Karen
item THOMPSON, DEBORAH - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item Nicklas, Theresa
item Zakeri, Issa

Submitted to: Ethnicity and Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2003
Publication Date: 12/1/2003
Citation: Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J., Cullen, K., Thompson, D., Nicklas, T., Zakeri, I.F. 2003. The Fun, Food, and Fitness Project (FFFP): the Baylor GEMS Pilot Study. Ethnicity and Disease. 13(Suppl):S30-S39.

Interpretive Summary: This study was designed to prevent obesity among 8-year-old African-American girls as part of the Girls health Enrichment Multisite Studies (GEMS) Fun, Food, and Fitness Project (FFFP). Thirty-five girls and their parents or caregivers were randomly assigned to treatment (N=19) or control groups (N=16). Girls in the intervention group attended a special 4-week summer day camp, followed by a special 8-week home Internet intervention for the girls and their parents. Control group girls attended a different 4-week summer day camp, followed by a monthly home Internet intervention, neither of which components included the GEMS-FFFP enhancements. Overall results at the end of the 12-week program demonstrated substantial, although not significant, differences between treatment and control groups in the hypothesized directions. On average, less than half the treatment sample logged onto the Website, which limited intervention dose. In conclusion, summer day camp appears to offer promise for initiating health behavior change. Effective methods must be developed and tested to enhance log-on rates among healthy children and their parents before Internet programs can achieve their potential.

Technical Abstract: The Girls health Enrichment Multisite Studies (GEMS) Fun, Food, and Fitness Project (FFFP) was designed to prevent obesity among 8-year-old African-American girls. The program was a twelve-week, two-arm parallel group randomized controlled study pilot. The data were collected in summer day camp and subjects homes in Houston, Texas. Thirty-five girls and their parents or caregivers were randomly assigned to treatment (N=19) or control groups (N=16). Girls in the intervention group attended a special 4-week summer day camp, followed by a special 8-week home Internet intervention for the girls and their parents. Control group girls attended a different 4-week summer day camp, followed by a monthly home Internet intervention, neither of which components included the GEMS-FFFP enhancements. Body mass index (BMI), consumption of fruit, 100% fruit juice, and vegetables (FJV), physical activity were recorded. Results showed that after adjusting for baseline BMI, there were no significant differences in BMI between treatment and control group girls, either at the end of the 4-week summer day camp, or after the full 12-week intervention. By the end of the summer camp, the subgroup of treatment group girls heavier at baseline exhibited a trend (P<.08) toward lower BMI, compared to their heavier counterparts in the control group. Overall results at the end of the 12-week program demonstrated substantial, although not significant, differences between treatment and control groups in the hypothesized directions. On average, less than half the treatment sample logged onto the Website, which limited intervention dose. In conclusion, summer day camp appears to offer promise for initiating health behavior change. Effective methods must be developed and tested to enhance log-on rates among healthy children and their parents before Internet programs can achieve their potential.