Cross-sectional study protocol for the Arabic Healthy Weight Project promoting active living and healthy eating among Arabic-speaking communities in South Western Sydney

• Published in: BMJ open 2019-03, Vol.9 (3), p.e025502-e025502
• Main Authors: Kovai, Vilas, Arjunan, Punitha, Weber, Danielle, Rooney, Janelle, Jalaludin, Bin, Wardle, Karen, Williams, Mandy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arabs; Artificially Sweetened Beverages - statistics & numerical data; Body Weight; Chronic illnesses; Community; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Diabetes; Diet, Healthy; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Government agencies; Health care; Health promotion; Health Promotion - methods; Healthy Lifestyle; Humans; Intervention; New South Wales; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - ethnology; Obesity - prevention & control; Population; Public Health; Religion; Research Design; Role models; Social marketing; Sports facilities; Systematic review; Vegetables
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025502

IntroductionThe South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) is home to nearly 75 000 Arabic-speaking people. Of these, nearly three quarters are overweight or obese and suffer from a range of chronic diseases. To address this, the Health Promotion Service of SWSLHD will conduct a community-based overweight and obesity prevention intervention (Arabic Healthy Weight Project, 2018–2021) with Arabic community members aged between 18 and 50 years. The intervention’s main activities will include a comprehensive social marketing campaign and an ‘Eat-Move-Live Healthy’ programme.Methods and analysisThe project will be evaluated using a pre–postintervention study design to measure changes in practices in relation to physical activity, consumption of vegetables and intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. The evaluation will apply mixed data collection methods. The quantitative data will be collected using a face-to-face survey of 1540 participants from two independent samples (pre: 770 and post: 770). Descriptive and inferential statistical tests will be used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative component will use focus group discussions and interviews to evaluate the formative, process and follow-up phases of data collection. A combination of deductive and inductive methods of data analysis will be conducted using NVivo software.Ethics and disseminationThe protocol has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of SWSLHD (HREC/16/LPOOL/303). Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals.