African American Community Essay

There are a variety of programs and interventions available in order to help the African American population better the obesity epidemic. One of the initiatives that has been established, is the African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network (AACORN). According to their website, they are a “Collaboration of U.S researchers, scholars-in-training and community based research partners” (......). AACORN was founded in 2002 by Shiriki Kumayinka, an African American public health and nutrition researcher. The organization was initiated in order to support obesity research by individuals who are familiar with African American life experiences within the research field. The effort was born in Penn State University’s School of Public Health

They also have partnered and received grants from different organizations to do research on variation of food prices, to create workshops with people from communities, create food marketing projects and conduct program evaluations of programs like “FriarFit,” to determine if they work. The organization uses mostly primary data because they are doing their own research and collecting their own data. The purpose of this, is to create tailored data and information for the African American community. The organization does not limit themselves in just one area of research. From their efforts, they have had a say in food related issues, physical activity and overall community health. Their efforts have been effective because they have been able to connect with the African American community and focus on the issues that they face. They are also working with a community centered model that not only focuses on knowledge but behavior and other aspects, making their efforts more effective. Challenges within the organization is the recruitment of people within the field that will be able to be passionate and relate to the African American culture. There is always a challenge when it comes to changing policies and it is teh type of effort that takes longer to

The main goal of REACH is to reduce racial and health disparities. One of the populations that the focus on is, African Americans. The way this program works, is by providing funds and partnering with health departments, tribes, universities and community based organizations. REACH also aims to implement evidence and practice based strategies in these racial and ethnic communities. A method used in REACH is, bringing together members of the community to plan and carry out many of the strategies within their communities. These strategies address a wide variety of health issues. Some risk factors that REACH wants to implement strategies for are: Physical activity, poor nutrition and lack of access to chronic disease prevention, risk reduction and management opportunities. All of these factors directly influence obesity and many are risk factors that are specific to the African American community. CDC assessed the REACH program annually from 2009 to 2012. The survey gathered information about fruit and vegetable consuption, physical activity levels, chronic disease prevelance among other factors. Results showed that REACH communities that focused on cardiovascular or diabetes health, had a 3.9% increase in non-hispanic black adults that ate five or more vegetables a day during that time period. from 2009 to