Eat Healthy, Be Active Community Workshops implemented with rural Hispanic women

In the U.S., obesity disproportionately affects some racial/ethnic groups more than others; 42.5% of Hispanic adults are obese, compared to 32.6% of non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Research also shows that Mexican American women are 40% more likely to be overweight, as compared to NHW women. With high obesity rates among Hispanics, improving healthier lifestyle practices is an important step for reducing health disparities. The Eat Healthy, Be Active (EHBA) community workshops were developed to assist individuals in translating national nutrition and physical activity recommendations into action. Promotora-led EHBA workshops could be used to promote obesity-related health behavior lifestyle changes among Hispanics.

Hispanic women from rural communities in Washington state were recruited to participate in a six-week Promotora-led workshop series. This pilot study used a pre- and post-test study design to examine differences in healthy lifestyle knowledge and practices.

A total of 49 Hispanic women participated in the workshops, of whom 45% were obese. Six-weeks after implementation of EHBA, women had improvements in healthy lifestyle practices, including an increase in nutrition label literacy, decrease in consumption of food eaten in restaurants, and an increase in the number of times a woman performed physical activity long enough to make them sweat.

The findings from this pilot study indicate that delivering EHBA workshops through promotoras is a feasible culturally relevant approach to promoting healthier lifestyle practices among Hispanic women. Further, focusing on females, who do the food shopping and preparation in their homes, may help increase awareness among whole families.