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Adaptation of a Culturally Relevant Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Low-Income, Mexican-Origin Parents With Young Children

Adaptation of a Culturally Relevant Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Low-Income, Mexican-Origin Parents With Young Children

SPECIAL TOPIC — Volume 12 — May 14, 2015

Lucia Kaiser, PhD; Judith Martinez, MS; Marcel Horowitz, MS; Catherine Lamp, MS; Margaret Johns, MS; Dorina Espinoza, PhD; Michele Byrnes, MPH; Mayra Muñoz Gomez, BS; Alberto Aguilera, MPH; Adela de la Torre, PhD

Suggested citation for this article: Kaiser L, Martinez J, Horowitz M, Lamp C, Johns M, Espinoza D , et al. Adaptation of a Culturally Relevant Nutrition and Physical Activity Program for Low-Income, Mexican-Origin Parents With Young Children. Prev Chronic Dis 2015;12:140591. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140591.

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On this Page

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Needs of the Target Audience
• Methods
• Participant Attendance and Feedback
• Conclusion and Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Table

Abstract

Latino children experience higher rates of obesity than do non-Latino white children. Family-centered nutrition interventions can slow the rate of weight gain in this population. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a 5-year, community-based, participatory research study that targets rural Mexican-origin farmworker families with children aged 2 to 8 years in California’s Central Valley. Adaptation of a culturally relevant obesity prevention program involved qualitative research to tailor key obesity prevention messages, pilot testing and implementation of key messages and activities at family nights, and continual modification to incorporate culturally innovative elements. Of the 238 families enrolled, 53% (125) attended the recommended minimum of 5 (of 10 possible) classes during the first year. A university and community partnership can guide development of a culturally tailored obesity prevention program that is suitable for reaching a high-risk Mexican-origin audience through cooperative extension and other public health programs.

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2011-68001-30167 and by CA-D-NTR-2117-H from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The authors acknowledge the contributions of Lenna Ontai, Maria Rangel, Diana Bueno Gutierrez, Ivan Garcia, the families in our study, and the graduate and undergraduate student research assistants at the University of California, Davis.

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Author Information

Corresponding Author: Lucia Kaiser, PhD, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. Telephone: 530-754-9063. Email: llkaiser@ucdavis.edu.

Author Affiliations: Judith Martinez, Adela de la Torre, Center for Transnational Health, Chicano Studies, University of California, Davis, California; Marcel Horowitz, University of California Cooperative Extension Yolo County, Woodland, California; Catherine Lamp, University of California Cooperative Extension Tulare County, Tulare, California; Margaret Johns, University of California Cooperative Extension Kern County, Bakersfield, California; Dorina Espinoza, University of California Cooperative Extension Humboldt/Del Norte Counties, Eureka, California; Michele Byrnes, UC CalFresh, University of California, Davis, California; Mayra Muñoz Gomez, Alberto Aguilera, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, California.

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