Many health professionals recognize that increasing nutrition literacy should be an essential element of any strategy to reduce obesity in underserved communities. The main objective of this project is to report on the feasibility of developing a HIP-HOP MUSIC CD program that can increase nutrition literacy and help prevent obesity in adolescent African Americans youths. The basic questions to be addressed by this research project proposal are: Can the USDA Food Pyramid, and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines be translated accurately and effectively into a 10 song musical CD program Does music-based messaging provide dissemination and comprehension advantages over traditional health communications techniques such as radio and television PSA's, pamphlets, websites and billboards Can music and melody enhance nutritional knowledge and increase motivation for healthy dietary behavior change in African American youths The summary reporting on the first question would be based on a qualitative post-development evaluation of the Music CD program's content accuracy, by a representative sample of registered dieticians and nutrition educators. The second and third questions would be assessed through quantitative results of a pre-and-post nutritional knowledge questionnaire and a summary analysis of additional qualitative target audience focus groups. The target audience for the Music CD would be African American youths ages 8 to 12. Although music is a widely consumed communications channel among youth, it is under-utilized in health communications. This research proposal would help health communicators and nutrition educators discover if it is possible to take advantage of the popularity of music among African American youth by utilizing music to specifically communicate nutrition literacy. More importantly, society can benefit from a new music-based health communications channel in a number of ways. First, using music to deliver prevention and treatment messages may make those important messages more accessible to youths, illiterate individuals and indigent populations. It has also been shown that increased health communications can lead to a reduction in health disparities, chronic diseases and an improvement in overall public health. Furthermore, music-based nutrition literacy may be more effective and more sustainable than other types of nutrition education, obesity prevention campaigns and interventions. Traditional methods such as billboards, radio and television PSA's are fleeting and expensive, and can only be sustained over a short period of time. On the other hand, songs about health are classic by definition. They can facilitate ongoing, repetitive healthy behavior messaging, and can be developed and disseminated at a fraction of burn rates of media/print production and distribution. In summary, a music-based approach to nutrition literacy and obesity prevention messaging is an innovative communications methodology that challenges existing paradigms in nutrition education and health communications. OBJECTIVES: The main technical objectives of this Phase I research project are to: Translate the USDA Food Pyramid, and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines into a musical CD program. Assemble a review panel of registered dieticians and nutrition educators in a focus group environment to assess the translation accuracy of the musical CD program. Assemble a representative sample of African American youths to participate in a pre and post survey that would measure the subjects before and after knowledge of nutritional information and obesity prevention concepts. A subset of the youth would also be invited to participate in focus groups to review the program to further assess their likes and dislikes of the music delivery modality, their satisfaction with the content, and to assess their intent to use the CD after the study. A follow-up phone survey would be conducted to determine the post-study use of the CD. The project will feature the production of a Music CD's based on production will be managed by Positive Records and its team of producers working closely with an Academic and Professional Advisory Group in the compilation of the program's nutritional message statements The learning objectives of the Music CD are to increase student's knowledge of the elements, principles, and concepts of the Food Pyramid, and the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The production goal is to use songs to get individuals to focus on the food they consume and to recognize that healthy eating is essential to health maintenance. Accordingly, the Music CD program will attempt to communicate that food choices should not be based on taste alone, but on knowledge of nutrient and caloric content. In addition to understanding the basic principles of the Food Pyramid, after listening to the Music CD content and reviewing the related materials, the target audience would specifically be able to: (1) Identify the element categories of new 2005 Food Pyramid; (2) Identify and name foods in the five major food groups and the "oils and fats" category on the Food Pyramid; (3) Understand the importance of breakfast and snack choices to a healthy diet; (3) Understand the importance of eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables; (5) Understand the need for calcium and Vitamin D in their diet; (6) Identify monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats within the "oils and fats" category; (7) Understand the recommended daily allowance for calories, nutrients and minerals and Indicate serving portion amounts of food needed daily from each food group (8) Understand how to read a food label; (9) Identify food consumption patterns and habits that might lead to obesity; (10) Understand the necessity of physical activity, and the role it plays in preventing/decreasing obesity; (11) Set goals for increasing physical activity; and (12) Understand the danger of obesity and the link between obesity, disease and lifespan
