Salud es Vida (Health is Life) - PIMS


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Grant Program: Bilingual/Bicultural Service Demonstration Grant Program
FY 07 Grantee: Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation/Kaweah Delta Health Care
Name of Grant Project: Salud es Vida (Health is Life)

Abstract

Salud Es Vida is a three-year project aimed at preventing and reducing the incidence of childhood obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle in low-income Latino communities, particularly families with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) who are overweight or obese or at risk of being overweight or obese. A multi-faceted, family-centered intervention model was adopted that included prevention, treatment and training activities for Latino families and health care providers, as well as community strategies focused on building leadership and advocacy skills that lead to health policy and environmental changes. Specifically, the intervention included:

Clinic-based interventions where participants interacted with a promotora, had regular check-ins with health care providers and engaged in rigorous activities such as scheduled exercises, nutrition education, grocery shopping trips, and cooking demonstrations-all within the context of the Latino culture,
Leadership skill development that included a leadership summit for participants who received extensive skill building in health advocacy for obesity prevention, and
Community strategies that tied in traditional cultural practices around activities and food to create a model culture renewal component that will be replicated in similar communities.

An evaluation was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including focus groups, face-to-face and phone interviews with participants, staff and program partners pre- and post-tests to measure knowledge gain and behavior change. The evaluation found that there was a significant decrease in one of the primary measures of obesity among children, and 63 percent of participants exhibited an improvement in their behavior. For instance, participants reported a statistically significant decrease in the number of times they opened the refrigerator between meals. There was also a significant increase in teens' and children's knowledge about obesity from pre- to post-test. In addition, the parents were found to have improved knowledge and behavior. They were more likely to read food labels or to pay extra for more nutritious food and a greater percentage of them were involved in some kind of exercise program.

Related NPA Goals:

Increased awareness, education and outreach to address racial/ethnic minority health and health disparities problems
Improved access to, and appropriate utilization of, health & other community-based services and systems through user-centered design for racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., health IT, culturally/ linguistically appropriate services, service provider education/ training, workforce diversity)
Strengthened leadership and coordination to leverage resources and enhance effectiveness and efficiency of individual and collective efforts (including, but not limited to, research and data)

Related Healthy People 2010 Objectives:

05-2 Prevent new cases of diabetes
05-3 Reduce the overall rate of diabetes that is clinically diagnosed
19-3 Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese
22-7 Increase the proportion of adolescents who engage in vigorous physical activity that promotes cardiorespiratory fitness 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion

Content Last Modified: 4/21/2011 3:28:00 PM

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Abstract

Related NPA Goals:

Related Healthy People 2010 Objectives: