# Presentation: 896192

## 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**

## 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

**Notes:**
(SLIDE - THE BIG PICTURE HEADING - NO TEXT)

The typical child today sees more than 40,000 commercials a year  

The commercials are are everywhere.

Since 1980, obesity has more than tripled among children ages 6-11 and adolescents ages 12-19.
The epidemic of childhood obesity has prompted research studies in wide variety of topics.  Here at the NICHD, for example, researchers have studied the relationship between watching television and the development of obesity in childhood.  The NICHD is currently funding research that fosters the development of innovative school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity. 
(CLICK—WSJ ARTICLE HEADLINE BULLET)
Other organizations are examining different factors that may affect childhood obesity; for example, just a couple of weeks ago, this article in the Wall Street Journal described a summit bringing together researchers to discuss the influence of mothers’ health behaviors on their daughters.    
As you know, there are many different programs for children to promote healthy behaviors—some are school-based, others are community-based.  Some are designed to affect attitudes, others to change behaviors.  The Media-Smart Youth Program is different.  We designed it to teach young people the skills they need to understand and critically evaluate media messages.  By helping young people navigate our complex media world and empower them to make thoughtful decisions about nutrition and physical activity, we are teaching them skills that will last well into their adult lives.
You’ll hear next from Marianne Glass Miller, who is coordinating the Media-Smart Youth Program.

##      Effect of 40,000 Commercials

-      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.

**Notes:**
(SLIDE - THE BIG PICTURE HEADING - NO TEXT)
Now more than ever, encouraging healthy behavior in young people is crucial.
(CLICK—CHILDHOOD OBESITY BULLET)
Since 1980, obesity has more than tripled among children ages 6-11 and adolescents ages 12-19.
The epidemic of childhood obesity has prompted research studies in wide variety of topics.  Here at the NICHD, for example, researchers have studied the relationship between watching television and the development of obesity in childhood.  The NICHD is currently funding research that fosters the development of innovative school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity. 
(CLICK—WSJ ARTICLE HEADLINE BULLET)
Other organizations are examining different factors that may affect childhood obesity; for example, just a couple of weeks ago, this article in the Wall Street Journal described a summit bringing together researchers to discuss the influence of mothers’ health behaviors on their daughters.    
As you know, there are many different programs for children to promote healthy behaviors—some are school-based, others are community-based.  Some are designed to affect attitudes, others to change behaviors.  The Media-Smart Youth Program is different.  We designed it to teach young people the skills they need to understand and critically evaluate media messages.  By helping young people navigate our complex media world and empower them to make thoughtful decisions about nutrition and physical activity, we are teaching them skills that will last well into their adult lives.
You’ll hear next from Marianne Glass Miller, who is coordinating the Media-Smart Youth Program.

## 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

## 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

**Notes:**
Good afternoon.  This afternoon I’d like to:
Provide some background on the MSY program
Share with you the key features of the program
Tell you a bit about some of the findings from our formative research, and
Give you a sense of our next steps for the program
Then, our colleagues from AED will present a mini-training in the curriculum...
But first I’d like to share an example of a final project which we call “The Big Production” produced by one of our Media-Smart Youth pilot sites. 
This video clip includes 2 PSA’s that were written, recorded, and produced by the young people at the Westfield, NJ YMCA after-school program. 
In 2000, Congress provided funding for a DHHS Youth Media Campaign to reach young people ages 9-13 with positive health messages.  Funding went to 4 agencies within the Department to develop programs that promote healthy behaviors to youth.

The NICHD developed MSY as its component of the Youth Media Campaign... and conducted extensive pilot testing in order to incorporate feedback from youth and after-school program leaders into the materials.

And in developing the MSY program, we drew upon well-founded communications and youth development principals. 
Part of the NICHD’s mission is to “ensure that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives, free from disease or disability” It was with this mission in mind that we created MSY.  

This program, like all of our public education materials and messages is an example of our effort to move research results into the community by creating useful, science-based products for the public.

## 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

**Notes:**
Our goal was to create a program that could:
inform young people about the ways media are used to influence decision-making and...
by using highly interactive and fun lesson plans, build their skills in analyzing media messages 
encourage youth to make healthy choices regarding nutrition and physical activity... to help them start healthy habits now that can last into adulthood.

## 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

**Notes:**
The centerpiece of the program is the curriculum entitled: MSY: Eat Think and Be Active! 
Includes 10 interactive lessons- each about 90 minutes long  
Each lesson includes a snack and activity break to teach the young people to prepare and enjoy new healthy snacks and to introduce them to some fun ways to increase physical activity
As they move through the lessons, they learn skills and engage in activities that prepare them to make their own media project called The Big Production 

## Program Materials

- Content includes:
- Media analysis
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Media production skills
- DVD/Video and poster to supplement the lessons

**Notes:**
Curriculum focuses on 4 key areas of learning: 
(Media analysis ) It teaches young people to:
recognize the techniques that the media use to get their attention 
identify the audience for a given message
identify the purpose of various media messages

The nutrition lessons are focused on healthy snack choices.
The Importance of daily physical activity is also a key area.

And the media production area:
lets the young people work with a media partner to develop their own health-related messages for their peers “Big Production”
In this way, the young people learn by doing: take what they learn about how the media works and put it into practice by creating their own media project

In addition to the curriculum, we’ve produced a video/DVD and the poster (shown here) to reinforce the curriculum lessons

## How do Youth Become “Media-Smart?”

- 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.

**Notes:**
We wanted to be careful not to send a message that media is bad, but rather teach young people the skills to dissect media messages and make good, informed decisions for themselves.
And to learn that they can use the power of media to deliver positive health messages to their peers and those slightly younger
Working with a media partner, the youth create their Big Production to promote healthy snacks and physical activity to their peers.
We saw some very creative examples during the pilot phase including PSA’s done on video and radio, poster campaigns, and a “news” cast including interviews with a chef and a fitness expert, a talk show focused on health, and even an op-ed that was printed in a local paper.
NEXT SLIDE: We wanted to give you a chance to hear from some of the youth and adults who participated in the pilot.  So here are some of their thoughts on MSY and the Big Production, in their own words...

## The “Big Production”

## Pilot Sites: New York

**Notes:**
We know, of course, that when we create materials or programs for young people, it is crucial that we involve them in all aspects of the design of messages and activities that are intended for them.

We conducted a 10-site pilot test (with over 275 youth) that proved extremely valuable in the development of the curriculum.  

By observing the lessons and collecting feedback from youth after each lesson, we learned what worked, and... just as important... what we needed to improve.  

## Pilot Sites: Minnesota

**Notes:**
The promise of getting to create a message or PSA and the actual hands-on experience with equipment was the most exciting element of the program for the young people.

## Pilot Sites: Washington, DC

**Notes:**
They really learn about what goes into the media they encounter.  Because they are using the same planning and techniques to create their own messages, they are learning by doing it themselves.

## Pilot Sites

**Media-Smart Youth Pilot Sites**

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**We Can! Sites using Media-Smart Youth**

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**Media-Smart Youth Evaluation Sites**

**Notes:**
7 Media-Smart Youth Pilot Sites

We pilot-tested the program with:
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

## Formative Research: Key Findings

- Formative Research: Key Findings

-  Flexibility
-  Structure & organization of lessons
-  Youth involvement/ “after-school feel”
-  Guidance for media partners
-  Link to educational standards

## Media Smart Youth in Action 

- Media Smart Youth in Action

## Flexible! 

- Flexible!
- Variety of
- settings

- 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

- Fosters
- collaboration!

**Notes:**
We are working with several partners to promote the program:
through a partnership with the Black Entertainment Television Foundation, Media-Smart Youth workshops were conducted at the BET Foundation’s Summer Camp for Girls in the summer of 2005.
through our NIH partners in We Can
and we are distributing it at no cost to after school program providers across the country. 

## Resources and Channels

**Resources and Channels**

**Notes:**
Each of the Institutes are bringing resources together to help promote this national education program by providing programs to  parents and caregivers and community groups.
The We Can program serves as an umbrella under which many other products, programs, activities and resources that are consistent with the basic tenets of We Can fit. 

## WE CAN SITES

**Notes:**
We are working with several partners to promote the program:
through a partnership with the Black Entertainment Television Foundation, Media-Smart Youth workshops were conducted at the BET Foundation’s Summer Camp for Girls in the summer of 2005.
through our NIH partners in We Can
and we are distributing it at no cost to after school program providers across the country. 

## “WE CAN!” Sites Using 

- “WE CAN!” Sites Using
- Media-Smart Youth

**Media-Smart Youth Pilot Sites**

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**We Can! Sites using Media-Smart Youth**

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**Media-Smart Youth Evaluation Sites**

**Notes:**
This map shows, in yellow, the We Can! Intensive Sites that used Media-Smart Youth. These sites were the very first folks to use Media-Smart Youth—we did an advance printing especially for them. 

10 We Can! Media-Smart Youth Sites
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

## Media-Smart Youth Formal Outcome Evaluation	

- 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

- 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

**Notes:**
The evaluation looks at whether or not the MSY program increases knowledge, intentions, and skills in media analysis, nutrition, and physical activity.  It is the first formal evaluation of the curriculum using trained facilitators.  It was conducted in the 20 sites in DC, Fairfax County, VA, and Montgomery County, MD.  A first look at the data shows favorable outcomes.  We will be publishing an evaluation report early next year.

## Next Steps

- Promote the materials through partnerships
- Regional chapters of youth-serving organizations
- NIH partners - WE CAN!
- BET Foundation Summer Camp

**Notes:**
We are working with several partners to promote the program:
through a partnership with the Black Entertainment Television Foundation, Media-Smart Youth workshops were conducted at the BET Foundation’s Summer Camp for Girls in the summer of 2005.
through our NIH partners in We Can
and we are distributing it at no cost to after school program providers across the country. 

## 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

**Notes:**
In summary, Media-Smart Youth is a well-tested, exciting new after-school program with a firm foundation in communications and youth development principals.  

NEXT SLIDE: I’d like to close the presentation with another example of the wonderful work of one of our pilot sites.

This clip is from Channel 12 News in the Bronx who covered the story of the Media-Smart Youth program taking place in Bronx MS 127.

## Media-Smart Youth in Bronx M.S. 127 

- Media-Smart Youth in Bronx M.S. 127

## Media-Smart Youth in Times Square

**Notes:**
You may not have caught what the news anchor said at the end...
He said that the PSA that MS 127 created was actually aired on the Jumbotron in Times Square.  That afterschool program in MS 127 had a pre-existing relationship with Panasonic—who happens to own the Jumbotron—and they aired the PSA on the Jumbotron.  These photos are from NewsChannel 12, who did a news story about the kids as they came to Times Square to watch their PSA.
This is an example—an atypical, amazing example—of young people’s experience working on a Big Production.

## www.nichd.nih.gov/msy

- _www.nichd.nih.gov/msy_
- _[http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov](http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov/)_
- mcgrathj@mail.nih.gov

**Notes:**
Thank you for your attention.  And now I’d like to introduce Monica Silvestro and Elyse Cohen of the Academy for Educational Development.