Student-led health intervention: Improving the health of homeless living with HIV and AIDS in San Bernardino, CA

Master's of Public Health students worked with Central City Lutheran Mission (CCLM), a community-based organization dedicated to meeting the needs of underserved and vulnerable populations in San Bernardino, for one year. The purpose of the partnership was to design, implement, and evaluate a health intervention for individuals within the CCLM community, and give graduate students the opportunity to foster public health programming skills.

Students developed and implemented the Living Healthier Pilot Study, a bilingual nutrition and exercise intervention for homeless men and women (n=18) living with HIV and AIDS under the guidance of faculty, CCLM liaisons, clinical staff, and a registered dietitian. The intervention sought to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity levels, and nutrition and health knowledge among participants. Intervention activities included surveys and questionnaires, nutrition and health classes, daily lunches, and sporting events. Anthropometric measures and blood chemistries were monitored with the assistance of clinical staff.

The intervention was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative measures. Findings included improved blood chemistries, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, retention of nutrition and health information, and enhanced socialization among participants. Students learned the importance of involving participants in the planning process, and gained insight into the challenges of developing a health intervention for a high-risk population living on the margins of society.

Students analyzed intervention findings and compiled suggestions from participants, CCLM liaisons, and clinical staff. Students built on these suggestions in order to offer recommendations for future, scaled-up health programming efforts for the target population and broader CCLM community.