ARS | Publication request: NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DIABETES: A COMMUNITY MODEL

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: November 12, 2003
Publication Date: April 17, 2004
Citation: Harris, E.W., Cotton, P.A., Cuqlock-Knopp, G. 2004. Nutrition, physical activity and diabetes: a community model. In: Proceedings Federation of America Societies for Experimental Biology, April 17-21, 2004, Washington, DC. p.596.11

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this project is to understand the relationship between the community environment and the ability to eat healthy and be physically active to prevent diabetes. The project is a collaboration between the USDA Community Nutrition Research Group, the U.S. Army Research Lab, faculty and students from six Historically Black Colleges and Universities and one Tribal College, who attended the 2003 USDA Food and Nutrition Summer Institute. For this project, students defined their university community by ½ mile increments from the main campus until a major grocery store was reached. This distance became the radius for the university community boundary. Data will be collected fall 2003 through winter 2004 on opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity. The students will be collecting information on the types of food outlets and foods available, physical activity outlets and what's offered, and nutrition assistance programs in their respective communities. These data will be added to the Community Nutrition Mapping Project, a web-based application that combines and aggregates food and nutritional indicators at geographic levels. Findings from this research will be used to develop appropriate community based intervention strategies aimed at diabetes control and prevention.