WASHINGTON - This summer, young people in Harlem, N.Y.; Pinellas County, Fla., Sussex County, Del. and Bowling Green, Ky. are taking part in a unique community research project to determine how food and beverage marketing affects local residents’ health choices. 

The project is co-sponsored by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the Academy for Educational Development. 

More than 9 million U.S. children and youth are obese and many more are at risk for becoming obese. Current food and beverage marketing practices geared toward children and youth contribute to an environment that puts their health at risk, according to a recent IOM report on which the project is based.

Starting in May 2006, local youth will use a technique called Community YouthMapping to explore their neighborhoods, gather baseline information on the food and beverage marketing practices in their communities, and develop recommendations for organizing community change. Data is collected using surveys, person-to-person interviews, and observational analysis.  When the project concludes at the end of the summer, the youth will present their findings and make recommendations to community stakeholders.

Specific sites include:

Pinellas County 4-H Youth Development, Florida
The Alive Center of Bowling Green, Kentucky
TRUCE Fitness and Nutrition Center of the Harlem Children's Zone, New York
4-H Youth Development, University of Delaware

This project was made possible by the Kellogg Health of the Public Fund.