170135 LUCHAR: A town and gown collaboration for heart health

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 3:24 PM

Charlene Barrientos Ortiz , Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO
Luchar Community Advisory Committee , Colorado Health Outcomes Program, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO
     
Background: Latinos face heart disease in disproportionate numbers and have less access to culturally appropriate lifestyle modification interventions than other groups. LUCHAR (Latinos Using Cardio Actions to Reduce Risk) is a five year study conducted at Denver Health and The University of Colorado to promote heart disease prevention among Latinos in Denver Colorado. We formed a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of Spanish and English speaking Latino to ensure program elements were acceptable and promoted ethically. Here we discuss approaches to recruitment, training and sustainability of the CAC for the LUCHAR project.

Methods: We recruited and partner with 15 community members on the CAC. Members self-identify as Latino, live in the Denver Area and are Spanish and English speakers. Members were recruited from Denver Health and local community organizations. The CAC meets quarterly to review study procedures and comment on study products such as health promotion materials, and study recruitment protocols. The CAC offers improvement suggestions for study procedures to assist in building trust for the project in the community.

Results: The CAC increased their understanding of research and of their role as gatekeepers for research projects in the community. LUCHAR investigators improved their competence in developing culturally appropriate health promotion materials and study recruitment materials and protocols. The CAC intends to parlay their experience into a speakers' bureau for Latinos pairing community members and researchers to present critical information on Latino Heart Health in community settings.

Conclusions: Forming a CAC can offer researchers critical access to community members that will substantially improve research processes. It will offer community members opportunities to learn about research and engage with investigators to demand transparent and ethical research processes, and to equitably distribute benefits and burdens of research in the Latino community.

Learning Objectives:
1. List four key steps in engaging the Latino community as advisors to research projects 2. Discuss two challenges inherent in town/gown collaborations for research 3. Identify benefits associated with establishing community advisory committees for research

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Heart Disease

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I organized this Community Advisory Committee, identified and recruited community members and planned all CAC sessions
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Partnerships for Health: Creative Strategies
See more of: Latino Caucus