SALSA DANCING, KICKBOXING
IN UH STUDY GIVE A ‘BOUNCE’ TO HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Study Targets Middle School Hispanic Girls and Their Moms in Houston–Area
Schools
HOUSTON, March 14, 2006—Salsa, kickboxing and an array of
nutritious foods are the ingredients of a new University of Houston
study that looks at the role cultural factors play in a person’s
food decisions and body weight. Norma Olvera and Jill Bush, professors
in the UH Department of Health and Human Performance, are using
middle school Hispanic girls and their mothers in the BOUNCE study.
“The BOUNCE study is about altering behaviors and perceptions
about eating and physical activity,” said Olvera. “We
want to teach moms and their daughters to be more active, eat more
fruits and vegetables and less fat.”
BOUNCE, which stands for Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition,
Counseling and Exercise, focuses on girls ages 9 though 12 and their
mothers. The 15-week study is structured like a physical education
class and is presented three days a week. The girls and moms learn
about good nutrition choices and develop their skills in kickboxing
and salsa. The program also includes a counseling component that
builds self-esteem by teaching coping skills to deal with pressures
to be thin. The students and moms come from Benavides and Rusk Elementary
Schools where the programs are held.
Olvera, who studies how family, environment and culture affect
diet and physical activity, said there is a great need for research
to learn about Hispanic families’ perception about obesity
and physical activity. She said her studies have found that more
than 40 percent of Hispanic children in Houston are overweight,
which far outpaces the national average of 11percent of all children.
“What I’ve found is that parents usually believe that
if a child is eating, she’s healthy, even if the child is
overweight, even if the child is making poor food choices,”
said Olvera. “The act of eating is equated to healthy living.”
At the end of the 15-week program, Olvera and Bush will determine
if eating and exercise habits of the girls and their mothers are
changing. She hopes to replicate this program in other schools and
districts. Eventually, she would like to see programs that allow
parents and children to work together toward good health while uncovering
the relationship between culture and obesity.
Olvera’s BOUNCE study is being funded by the UH College
of Education’s Faculty Research Opportunity Award.
For more information about the UH Health and Human Performance,
please visit http://www.hhp.uh.edu/.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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