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Title & Content |
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Media-Smart Youth—Eat, Think, and Be Active!
An interactive after-school education program for youth ages 11 to 13
John McGrath, Ph.D.
Public Information and Communications Branch, NICHD
mcgrathj@mail.nih.cov
(image: Media-Smart Youth logo, wecan! Logo, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services logo) |
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The Big Picture
- Average child sees more than 40,000 commercials a year
- Commercials are quick, fast-paced and entertaining
- Commercials try to convince child that eating a certain food will make a child happy or popular
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Effect of 40,000 Commercials
- Strong evidence that marketing foods and beverages to children influences their preferences, requests, purchases, and diets
- Most foods marketed to children are high calories and low in nutrients
- Candy, soft drinks, salty snacks and chips are the top items that teens 13-17 purchase with their own money
- Marketing has become more sophisticated, pervasive, invasive, and effective
- More than $10 billion per year is spent on marketing foods and beverages that kids buy and eat.
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Media and Overweight
- Overweight increases in proportion to the number of hours children sit in front of a screen
- A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that children aged 8 to 18 years had an average media usage time of 6 hours and 21 minutes.
- Obesity among preschool children more than doubled in the last 30 years
... more than tripled for children 6-11
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Overview of Presentation Today
- Origin and basis for program
- Acknowledgement of AED – Academy for Educational Development
- Features and materials
- Formative research and pilot test
- Where the program is being used
- Evaluation: preliminary results
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Program Goals
- Create awareness of media's role in influencing choices about physical activity and nutrition
- Build critical thinking and media analysis skills to help youth make informed choices regarding physical activity and nutrition
- Encourage youth to establish healthy habits now to last into adulthood
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Program Materials
- Facilitator's Guide includes 10 highly interactive and fun lessons for youth ages 11-13 y.o.
- Lessons include snack and action breaks
- Guide youth toward creating their own media project
(image: cover of Media Smart Facilitator's Guide)
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Program Materials
- Content includes:
- Media analysis
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Media production skills
- DVD/Video and poster to supplement the lessons
(image: "6 Media Questions" poster)
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How do Youth Become "Media-Smart?"
Critical thinking skills
- Access information
- Analyze & explore message construction
- Evaluate implicit and explicit messages
Creative production skills
- Work with Media Partner to create messages
- Communicate messages to peers ages 9-13 y.o.
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The "Big Production"
(image: video)
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Pilot Sites: New York
(image: photo of children in school)
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Pilot Sites: Minnesota
(image: photo of children learning how to operate TV camera)
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Pilot Sites: Washington, DC
(image: photo of little girls speaking into microphone)
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Pilot Sites
- Girl Scouts of Greater Minneapolis: Minneapolis, MN
- Girl Scouts of Rolling Hills Council: North Branch, New Jersey
- YMCA of Westfield: Westfield, New Jersey
- Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation: Long Island City, New York
- Logan Square Neighborhood Association: Chicago, Illinois
- Spartanburg Terrace Tenants Association/Save the Children: Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Latin American Youth Center: Washington, DC
(image: map of US highlighting locations of pilot sites)
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Formative Research: Key Findings
- Flexibility
- Structure & organization of lessons
- Youth involvement/ "after-school feel"
- Guidance for media partners
- Link to educational standards
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Media Smart Youth in Action
(image: video)
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wecan!
A national education program involving youth, ages 8-13, and their parents and caregivers in home and community settings to meet the overall goal of preventing overweight and obesity.
- Turn key! Science-based program for the entire community
- Flexible! Variety of settings
- Fosters collaboration!
(image: wecan! information)
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wecan! Resources and Channels
NHLBI, NICHD, NIDDK and NCI
(image: covers of resource materials from different organizations)
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WE CAN SITES
(image: US map highlighting WeCan sites)
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"WE CAN!" Sites Using Media-Smart Youth
- Parks & Recreation: Benton County, Oregon
- Coalition for Healthy Active Youth: Lane County, Oregon
- University of Nevada Las Vegas: Las Vegas, Nevada
- The Children's Hospital at Scott and White: Temple, Texas
- Alabama Department of Public Health: Mobile, Alabama
- Parks & Recreation: Roswell, Georgia
- Gary Youth Services Bureau and Park Recreation: Gary, Indiana
- Springfield-Green County Park Board: Springfield, Missouri
- University of Michigan Health System: Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Montgomery County Recreation Department: Silver Spring, Maryland
(image: US map of We Can sites using Media-Smart Youth)
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Media-Smart Youth Formal Outcome Evaluation
Looks at whether or not the Media-Smart Youth program increases knowledge, intentions and skills in media analysis, nutrition and physical activity.
- First formal evaluation of the curriculum using trained facilitators.
- Conducted with sites in DC, Fairfax County, VA, and Montgomery County, MD
- Evaluation Report to be published in early 2007
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Next Steps
Promote the materials through partnerships
- Regional chapters of youth-serving organizations
- NIH partners - WE CAN!
- BET Foundation Summer Camp
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Summary
Media-Smart Youth is…
- Well-researched and tested
- Grounded in communications and youth development principals
- Exciting and fun for young people
- Used by youth-serving organizations across the country
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Media-Smart Youth in Bronx M.S. 127
(image: video)
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Media-Smart Youth in Times Square
(image: photos of Media-Smart Youth event in Times Square)
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www.nichd.nih.gov/msy
http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov
mcgrathj@mail.nih.gov
(image: photo of happy children, Media-Smart Youth logo and HHS logo)
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