Intervention effects on kindergarten and first-grade teachers' classroom food practices and food-related beliefs in American Indian reservation schools.

Prevalence of obesity among American Indian children is higher than the general US population. The school environment and teachers play important roles in helping students develop healthy eating habits. The aim of this prospective study was to examine teachers' classroom and school food practices and beliefs and the effect of teacher training on these practices and beliefs.

Food responsiveness, parental food control and anthropometric outcomes among young American Indian children: cross-sectional and prospective findings.

Objective: Assess cross-sectional and prospective associations between food responsiveness and parental food control and anthropometric outcomes among American Indian children.

Design: Parents/caregivers completed psychosocial surveys and trained staff measured children's anthropometry at baseline (kindergarten) and at follow-up (1st grade) as part of a school-based obesity prevention trial (Bright Start).

Setting: On/near the Pine Ridge Indian reservation.

High food insecurity and its correlates among families living on a rural American Indian Reservation.

Objectives: We sought to better understand the prevalence and consequences of food insecurity among American Indian families with young children.

Methods: Parents or caregivers of kindergarten-age children enrolled in the Bright Start study (dyad n=432) living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota completed a questionnaire on their child's dietary intake, the home food environment, and food security. We assessed food security with a standard 6-item scale and examined associations of food insecurity with family sociodemographic characteristics, parents' and children's weight, children's dietary patterns, and the home food environment.

Bright Start: Description and main outcomes from a group-randomized obesity prevention trial in American Indian children.

The aim of the Bright Start study was to develop and test the effectiveness of a school environment intervention, supplemented with family involvement, to reduce excessive weight gain by increasing physical activity and healthy eating practices among kindergarten and first-grade American Indian children. Bright Start was a group-randomized, school-based trial involving 454 children attending 14 schools on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Children were followed from the beginning of their kindergarten year through the end of first grade.

Associations of home food availability, dietary intake, screen time and physical activity with BMI in young American-Indian children.

Objective: To evaluate associations between home environmental factors and BMI of young American-Indian children.

Design: Cross-sectional and prospective study.

Setting: School-based obesity prevention trial (Bright Start) on a Northern Plains Indian reservation in South Dakota.

American Indian parents' assessment of and concern about their kindergarten child's weight status, South Dakota, 2005-2006.

Introduction: Obesity is highly prevalent among American Indians, and effective prevention efforts require caregiver involvement. We examined American Indian (AI) parents' assessment of and level of concern about their kindergarten child's weight status.

Methods: We collected baseline data (fall of 2005 and fall of 2006) on children and their parents or caregivers for a school-based obesity prevention trial (Bright Start) on an AI reservation in South Dakota.

Summer effects on body mass index (BMI) gain and growth patterns of American Indian children from kindergarten to first grade: a prospective study.

Background: Overweight and obesity are highly prevalent among American Indian children, especially those living on reservations. There is little scientific evidence about the effects of summer vacation on obesity development in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of summer vacation between kindergarten and first grade on growth in height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) for a sample of American Indian children.

Associations of American Indian children's screen-time behavior with parental television behavior, parental perceptions of children's screen time, and media-related resources in the home.

Introduction: American Indian children have high rates of overweight and obesity, which may be partially attributable to screen-time behavior. Young children's screen-time behavior is strongly influenced by their environment and their parents' behavior. We explored whether parental television watching time, parental perceptions of children's screen time, and media-related resources in the home are related to screen time (ie, television, DVD/video, video game, and computer use) among Oglala Lakota youth residing on or near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Culture, context, and sexual risk among Northern Plains American Indian Youth.

American Indian adolescents have two to four times the rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) compared to whites nationally, they shoulder twice the proportion of AIDS compared to their national counterparts, and they have a 25% higher level of teen births. Yet little is known about the contemporary expectations, pressures, and norms that influence American Indian youth or how those might be shaped by today's lived cultural experiences, which frustrates attempts to mitigate the apparent disparity in sexual health. This paper used data from focus groups, in-depth interviews, and surveys with American Indian adolescents and young male and female adults from a Northern Plains tribe to contextualize sexual risk (and avoidance).

Pathways: lessons learned and future directions for school-based interventions among American Indians.

Background: Pathways, a multicenter study to test the effect of a school-based program to prevent obesity in American Indian children, yielded many benefits and encountered many challenges. This paper explores what we have learned from this study and examines possible future directions.

Methods: Information presented in this paper is based on formative research, study results, and discussions with staff and investigators.

Pathways curriculum and family interventions to promote healthful eating and physical activity in American Indian schoolchildren.

Background: Pathways, a multisite school-based study aimed at promoting healthful eating and increasing physical activity, was a randomized field trial including 1704 American Indian third to fifth grade students from 41 schools (21 intervention, 20 controls) in seven American Indian communities.

Methods: The intervention schools received four integrated components: a classroom curriculum, food service, physical activity, and family modules. The curriculum and family components were based on Social Learning Theory, American Indian concepts, and results from formative research.

Obesity in American-Indian children: prevalence, consequences, and prevention.

Background: American Indians of all ages and both sexes have a high prevalence of obesity. The health risks associated with obesity are numerous and include Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and respiratory problems. Obesity has become a major health problem in American Indians only in the past few generations and it is believed to be associated with the relative abundance of high-fat, high-calorie foods and the rapid change from active to sedentary lifestyles.

Pathways: a school-based, randomized controlled trial for the prevention of obesity in American Indian schoolchildren.

Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in the United States, particularly among American Indian communities.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based, multicomponent intervention for reducing percentage body fat in American Indian schoolchildren.

Design: This study was a randomized, controlled, school-based trial involving 1704 children in 41 schools and was conducted over 3 consecutive years, from 3rd to 5th grades, in schools serving American Indian communities in Arizona, New Mexico, and South Dakota.