SBIR-STTR Award

With schools closing in March due to COVID 19 students are at increased risk of practicing sedentary lifestyles. It is well documented that overweight obesity and excess abdominal fat have a direct relationship to risk factors related to obesity and cardiovascular disease. These risk factors include high levels of total cholesterol LDL-cholesterol triglycerides blood pressure fibrinogen and insulin and low levels of HDL-cholesterol. Overweight obesity and abdominal fat are related to increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular heart disease. The American Heart association estimates that 75% of hypertension stems directly from obesity. In 2018 the prevalence of obesity in youth in the US was already at a staggering rate (CDC 2018). In addition to this fact there is the added reality that numerous low income children in the US do not have access to home gym equipment the internet and/or motivational videos linked to healthy activities. For these children the sedentary lifestyle has increased due to COVID 19 and as we focus on the disease infection rates (as needed) relatively little is being done concerning how these changes in lifestyle are influencing eating habits nutrition ideas of health and health behavior relating to obesity prevention within our low income youth. Project objectives are: 1. Build community capacity and mobilization by developing and disseminating community toolkits that contain healthy snacks and address attitudes knowledge beliefs of exposure and vulnerability linked to COVID 19 and behaviors associated with the understanding of healthy nutritional choices designed to combat obesity among youth. 2. Develop interactive virtual reality modules (that will NOT require internet - with the ability to take to different locations) and/or learning environments linked to the toolkits focused on disease vulnerability and preparedness in general and increased understanding of the physical chemical and biological properties of food quality and food safety.3. Evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual reality modules with the toolkits in improving knowledge about COVID 19 prevention measures food science attitudes and behaviors including positive changes to dietary energy intake increases in physical activity patterns and improving community techniques to reduce obesity. It is hypothesized that these innovative virtual reality based modules will provide (i) a different perspective for educators to understand and conceptualize basic ideas in virtual reality module usage related to the educational environment and (ii) the needed background and nexus for success in the commercialization of scientific and technological based virtual education systems to increase student understanding in health concepts and education related to food science. This will result in the private commercialization of virtual training in educational environments to include both public and private institutions; home-based learning; and community settings.