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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2006

Contact: Marisa Ramirez
713.743.8152 (office)
713.204.9798 (cell)
mrcannon@uh.edu

SALSA DANCING, KICKBOXING IN UH STUDY GIVE A ‘BOUNCE’ TO HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Study Targets Middle School Hispanic Girls and Their Moms in Houston–Area Schools

HOUSTON, March 14, 2006—Salsa, kickboxing and an array of nutritious foods are the ingredients of a new University of Houston study that looks at the role cultural factors play in a person’s food decisions and body weight. Norma Olvera and Jill Bush, professors in the UH Department of Health and Human Performance, are using middle school Hispanic girls and their mothers in the BOUNCE study.

“The BOUNCE study is about altering behaviors and perceptions about eating and physical activity,” said Olvera. “We want to teach moms and their daughters to be more active, eat more fruits and vegetables and less fat.”

BOUNCE, which stands for Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition, Counseling and Exercise, focuses on girls ages 9 though 12 and their mothers. The 15-week study is structured like a physical education class and is presented three days a week. The girls and moms learn about good nutrition choices and develop their skills in kickboxing and salsa. The program also includes a counseling component that builds self-esteem by teaching coping skills to deal with pressures to be thin. The students and moms come from Benavides and Rusk Elementary Schools where the programs are held.

Olvera, who studies how family, environment and culture affect diet and physical activity, said there is a great need for research to learn about Hispanic families’ perception about obesity and physical activity. She said her studies have found that more than 40 percent of Hispanic children in Houston are overweight, which far outpaces the national average of 11percent of all children.

“What I’ve found is that parents usually believe that if a child is eating, she’s healthy, even if the child is overweight, even if the child is making poor food choices,” said Olvera. “The act of eating is equated to healthy living.”

At the end of the 15-week program, Olvera and Bush will determine if eating and exercise habits of the girls and their mothers are changing. She hopes to replicate this program in other schools and districts. Eventually, she would like to see programs that allow parents and children to work together toward good health while uncovering the relationship between culture and obesity.

Olvera’s BOUNCE study is being funded by the UH College of Education’s Faculty Research Opportunity Award.

For more information about the UH Health and Human Performance, please visit http://www.hhp.uh.edu/.

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