Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Web-Based Interactive Tool To Reduce Childhood Obesity Risk In Urban Minority Youth: Usability Testing Study, Sandra Verdaguer, Katrina F. Mateo, Katarzyna Wyka, Tracy A. Dennis, May May Leung

Publications and Research

Background: Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue among minority youth in the United States. Technology-enhanced approaches can be effective for promoting healthy behavior change.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the usability of prototypes of a Web-based interactive tool promoting healthy dietary behaviors to reduce childhood obesity risk in urban minority youth. The Web-based tool comprised a manga-style comic with interactive features (eg, sound effects, clickable pop-ups), tailored messaging, and goal setting, and was optimized for use on tablet devices.

Methods: Latino and black/African American children ages 9 to 13 years were recruited to participate …

Do Mothers Affect Daughter’S Behaviors? Diet, Physical Activity, And Sedentary Behaviors In Kuwaiti Mother–Daughter Dyads, Lemia H. Shaban, Joan A. Vaccaro, Shiryn D. Sukhram, Fatma G. Huffman

Publications and Research

The objective of the study was to evaluate 169 Kuwaiti mother– daughter dyads and their associations with health behaviors for eating healthy, engaging in physical activity, daughters perceived body weight, time spent with computer/video, and time viewing television. Female students aged 10–14 years were selected from private and public schools in the State of Kuwait. Results demonstrated that daughters exhibited similar behaviors to their mothers in their perceived eating behavior, physical activity, computer/ video game use, and TV screen time. Future research is essential to determine the role of mothers in effective health behavior intervention strategies for female Kuwaiti adolescents.