Project Number: 6251-53000-004-37
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2004
End Date: Aug 31, 2009

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to evaluate the nutritional health in the Lower Mississippi Delta, to identify nutritionally responsive problems, and to design and evaluate interventions that may be sustained at the community level and implemented on a larger scale in similar areas of the United States. A secondary objective is the prevention of obesity in rural populations in the Lower Mississippi Delta region through various research approaches.

Approach:
Developing capacity as necessary, the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (Delta NIRI) Consortium will identify environmental and community characteristics related to nutritional status; measure dietary intake; assess nutritional risk factors; and design, conduct, and evaluate interventions in the Lower Mississippi Delta. The University of Southern Mississippi specifically will support community-based participatory research activities in Hollandale, MS, and other sites as mutually agreed upon. In addition, USM will maintain a Behavioral Research Center, to conduct telephone, mail, internet surveys and qualitative data collection including focus groups; take a lead role within the Delta NIRI in data management for community assessments; initiate efforts to secure external funding for food security research and graduate fellowships; obtain statistical consulting expertise related to use of large national datasets; and conduct research in food and health behavior change and evaluation. Secondarily, collaborative efforts between ARS research scientists (Southern Plains and Mid South Areas) with University of Southern Mississippi researchers will permit the study of dietary and physical activity patterns, as well as other aspects of obesity prevention in Mississippi. Additionally, USM and ARS will support a joint scientific symposium highlighting active peer reviewed research underway in the Lower Mississippi Delta.