Hip Hop to Health Jr.

University of Illinois at Chicago

Overview

Hip Hop to Health Jr. is a direct education intervention designed to encourage healthy eating and exercise for children ages 3-5 years.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: Direct Education

Intervention Reach and Adoption

Hip Hop to Health Jr. prioritizes African American/Black and Latino preschool students. The efficacy and effectiveness trials for Hip Hop to Health Jr. were conducted in Head Start programs in Chicago.

Setting: Child care

Target Audience: Preschool (<5 years old)

Race/Ethnicity: African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans

Intervention Components

Hip Hop to Health Jr. is a 14-week curriculum consisting of weekly lessons focused on themes such as fruits, vegetables, heart healthy exercise, and healthy snacks. Lessons feature food group puppets. An aerobic activity session is included in each lesson. Weekly parent newsletters include content covered in the children’s curriculum and include a homework assignment. Parents also receive the CD that teachers use in the classroom so that concepts can be reinforced at home.

Intervention Materials

The curriculum features weekly lessons related to healthy eating and exercise, food group puppets, a CD with songs and raps and two fully scripted exercise routines, and parent newsletters.

Intervention Costs

$150 per set

Evidence Summary

Efficacy Trial (Lessons taught by specially trained early childhood educators)

Effectiveness Trial (lessons taught by classroom teachers)

Classification: Research-tested

Evaluation Indicators

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.

Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST) Changes – Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT) Population Results (R)
Individual ST1, ST3 MT1MT3 LT1, LT3
Environmental Settings
Sectors of Influence

Evaluation Materials

Currently, no evaluation tools or materials are available.

Additional Information

Website: The Hip Hop to Health Jr. website includes Hip Hop to Health Music for purchase.

Contact Person(s):

Laura Blumstein
Email: llb@uic.edu
Phone: 312-996-9028

 

*Updated as of September 11, 2023