OUP - Abstract

Creating Healthy Communities One Byte at a Time

Dissertation School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Pages: 136

Publication Date: January 2002

Availability:
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Access Number: 10767

Abstract:

A great disparity in health status exists in the United States between populations with higher and lower socioeconomic status. Lower income Americans also experience serious consequences from their poorer health status when trying to find employment. A recent study conducted by the Urban Institute, "Personal and Family Challenges to the Successful Transition from Welfare to Work", reported 4 of the top 8 barriers that prevent women from successfully going from welfare-to-work are health related. This proposal builds on these findings and presents and intervention model to help close the gap in social inequities of access to health care resources with the goal of augmenting the existing welfare-to-work initiative.

This project is being conducted in collaboration with HUD, Neighborhood Networks and ICF Kaiser. Neighborhood Networks is a community-based initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This initiative develops computer learning centers in privately owned HUD insured and assisted housing properties. These centers increase resident access to technology to improve their prospects for self-sufficiency, employability, healthcare and economic self-reliance. Although the residents have used the centers for job training and education, few health related programs have been implemented. This collaborative project is the ideal opportunity to develop models to address health promotion and disease prevention that impact quality of life and job productivity.

A double-blinded randomized intervention study will compare the efficacy of two nutrition-education models delivered over a three-month period to individuals in HUD housing properties with Neighborhood Network Centers. The special intervention model will provide low literate, tailored, or personalized, feedback and information based on individual survey answers. The comparison group will receive an "usual care" model. This will be an Internet homepage with links to other web sites containing nutrition information. This model represents what residents would normally have access to, web sites written at a high literacy level with generic, non-tailored, content.

Wilcoxon rank sum test and regression analyses will be the primary analytic methods used to estimate differences between study groups for the major outcome variables; dietary knowledge, self-efficacy, locus of control and job absenteeism. Analysis of covariance (ANACOVA) will also be used to examine change in continuous measures while controlling for baseline values and demographic predictors found to be significantly related to outcome variables. Logistic regression procedures will be used to analyze dichotomous measures and Chi square tests will be used to assess level of statistical significance. A process evaluation to determine cost-effectiveness and feasibility will also be employed.

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