Parent-Focused Nutrition and Activity Intervention for Head Start Preschoolers

The EMU Parents for Healthy Kids Project is a treatment outcome study investigating the effects of a home-based childhood obesity intervention for Detroit Head Start families. The intervention is a parent-focused, nutrition- and activity-based program aiming to improve the health behaviors of preschool children. Questionnaires, interviews and physical health measures will be used to assess a wide variety of constructs related to the parent's and child's well-being in addition to the effectiveness of the intervention program. Currently, we are going into the homes of the participating Detroit Head Start families and gathering information (collecting data) from the families. We are also conducting data analyses, and presenting findings at conferences and in scientific publications. If you are interested in child health related outcomes such as obesity, parenting and parent training, motivating behavior change, developmental psychopathology, low-income minority populations, The Parents for Healthy Kids Project may be the lab for you!

Student Tasks and Responsibilities

Students are needed to assist with multiple task projects. Possible tasks include but are not limited to:

  • Accompanying graduate research assistants on home visits to collect data in Detroit
  • Scheduling appointments and making confirmation phone calls
  • Preparing data collection packets
  • Data entry
  • Video coding of data
  • Participating in lab meetings
  • Helping to prepare data for presentation/publication

Minimum Qualifications

We are looking for great students who are responsible and interact well with others. This project includes the need to work with team members and to possibly interact with Head Start parents and children. Comfort interacting with kids, or past experience doing so, is preferred. An interest in psychology and research is a must. Although weekday and weekend availability is useful, we are specifically in need of students who have at least one block of time (about 4 hours) during the week.

Contact Information

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