185215 Effect of a Promotor(a) heart disease prevention program on dietary behaviors related to weight management, sodium intake, and fat intake of Hispanics living in El Paso, Texas participating in a randomized controlled trial

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 9:30 AM

Estelle Regina D. Prado , Department of Health Promotion, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Maria O. Duarte-Gardea, PhD , Department of Health Promotion, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Hector Balcazar, MS, PhD , El Paso, Regional Campus, UT Health Science Center-School of Public Health, EL Paso, TX
Flor A. Puentes, MPH , Texas Department of State Health Services, El Paso, TX
Leslie Schulz, PhD , College of Health and Human Services, Executive Dean, Flagstaff, AZ
E. Lee Rosenthal, PhD , Department of Health Promotion-College of Health Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Hendrik De Heer, MS , Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Melchor Ortiz, PhD , El Paso, Regional Campus, UT Health Science Center-School of Public Health, EL Paso, TX
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the U.S. Unhealthy diets are a modifiable risk factor for heart disease which can be improved with Community Health Worker/Promotor (CHW/P) interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a four-month CHW/P intervention using the Salud para su Corazón program in promoting positive changes aimed at improving cardio vascular health including changes in dietary behaviors related to weight management, sodium intake, and fat intake. Methods: A total of 285 residents were randomly assigned to CHW/P intervention or control group. Self-reported dietary behaviors were collected at baseline and at post-intervention using a validated questionnaire. Independent t-tests were used to compare behaviors changes between the two groups. Results: Intervention and control groups were comparable at baseline with respect to the studied behaviors. The intervention group presented statistically significant higher mean differences in scores at the end of the intervention, which represented a higher magnitude of acquisition of healthier behavior in the employed scales, when compared to controls for weight scale (2.89 ± 4.82 vs. 1.30 ± 4.07; p <0.01), sodium intake scale (3.21 ± 4.77 vs. 1.23 ± 3.89; p<0.001), and fat intake scale (2.61 ± 4.99 vs. 1.41 ± 4.61; p<0.05), indicating that CHW/Ps were effective in promoting positive changes in the studied behaviors. Discussion: The results of this research can be used to support the integration of CHW/Ps programs into efforts aimed at promoting healthy eating conducive to heart health.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the nutrition component of the Salud para su Corazón (Health for your Heart) Program. 2. Identify how a randomized controlled trial impacted Hispanic participants with regard to three dietary behaviors indicators. 3. Describe instruments utilized to evaluate dietary behavior.

Keywords: Heart Disease, Behavior Modification

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a degree on Nutrition at the University of Brasilia, at Brazil, and I am a graduate student in the Health Promotion Master Program. I've been working at HEART project for the last six months and this abstract is part of my thesis.
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.

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