The Role of Women in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

1. The Role of Women in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity • Elena Bastida, Ph.D. • Department of Health Promotion • Florida International University • Miami, Florida

2. Understanding the Changing Roles of women within the Family • In order to understand the role of women in childhood obesity it behooves us to place women as daughters, mothers and grandmothers within the changing roles of women in society. • In order to understand these changes it is important to embed these roles within the social structure.

3. Possible Topics for Discussion • Social Structural Change (Social Determinants) • In order to understand social determinants, we need to situate these within much broader changes in the social structure of modern societies. • Social Structural Changes: Family (Life Course and reproductive) Economic (Major changes in economic production, advanced technology, increased consumption, changes in the structure of work, segmentation of labor markets, increased inclusion of women in the economy)Demographic Environmental/Economic: Increases in Levels of energy availability (fat and sugar availability)

4. Parallel Changes in the Normative Structure of Society • As the Social Structure Changes, the cultural system also changes: modifies, adapts, improvises. • Cultural norms evolve and the Life Course evolves as well. • Notions of Family Regulation, Self Regulation also evolve. • All these elements must be recognized when designing and implementing Interventions that aim at Behavior Modification, whether individual or group.

5. The Role of the Family in the Prevention of Childhood Obesity • Family Regulatory Role: Is there a Breakdown that impedes regulation? • Has the Status of Childhood Changed? • Is there an increased in Childhood Autonomy?

6. Social Change and the Family • Changes in Filial Norms • Changes in Gender Norms • Changes in Family Roles • Changes in Gender Roles • Changes in Parental Roles • Changes in Children’s Roles

7. Changes in the Lifecourse • Changes in the Structure of the Family • Lead to Changes in the Life Course • Changes in the Life Course of Men and Women • Changes in Reproductive Norms • The Role of the Grandmother

8. Women: the Family & Reproductive Life Course Daughters Infancy Childhood Adolescence Early Adulthood Targeted by intervention Mothers Young Adulthood Targeted by intervention Middle Adulthood Targeted by intervention Grandmothers Middle Adulthood Targeted by Intervention Late Adulthood (Third Age) Targeted by Intervention

9. The Beyond Sabor • A Community Based Intervention • Uses the Principles of Participatory Research • Involves the Family: Targets the family unit • Population Based: Mexican Americans in South Texas along the Mexican Border • Three time points: Baseline, Post test- 14 weeks; Follow up at 40 weeks • Funded by the National Institutes of Health: 8 year Study • Currently we are completing the Intervention Phase • Entering the Dissemination Phase

10. Intervention Recognizes the Importance of Multiple Generation Families • Three and Four Generation Families have increased and become the norm • Seeks to Involve the Mother, Father and Grandparents; • Grandmothers as Caregivers of Grandchildren • The Top heavy family (China)

11. Global Prevalence of Obesity in 2010 Source: World Health Organization, 2010

12. Source: Personal Communication with Dr. Angel Caballero, 2012

16. Thank You