Community engagement approach: developing a culturally appropriate intervention for Hispanic mother-child dyads

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue, affecting 20% of U.S. preschool children.
• Hispanic preschool children exhibit particularly high rates of obesity, necessitating targeted interventions.
• Early prevention strategies are crucial for mitigating long-term health risks associated with childhood obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and cultural adaptation of the Vida Saludable intervention.
• To improve maternal physical activity and reduce children's sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among low-income Hispanic families.
• To provide a template and scoring tool for culturally adapted interventions in diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative partnership between academic institutions, a community health center, and stakeholders.
• Community-driven program design to ensure cultural relevance and appropriateness.
• Scoring and ranking of the intervention's cultural adaptations.

Main Results:

• The community-engagement approach contributed to improved participant health behaviors.
• Cultural adaptations received a high comprehensive rank, indicating successful tailoring.
• Postprogram evaluation demonstrated high participant satisfaction with the intervention.

Conclusions:

• Culturally adapted interventions, developed through community engagement, can effectively address childhood obesity.
• The Vida Saludable intervention provides a successful model for engaging diverse populations.
• The developed guidelines and tools can aid future research and implementation of culturally sensitive health programs.