Missing Link: Engaging Latino communities in health advocacy

Metabolic syndrome related health inequities persist and Latinos continue to lag behind other groups in important health indicators. The obesity epidemic is especially pronounced in the city of San Bernardino, California, where 50 percent of the population is self-described as Latino and 71 percent of adults are overweight or obese (compared to 65 percent in the county and 55 percent statewide). Furthermore, 30 percent of community residents report not having a park, playground, or open space within walking distance of their home, which is more than 8 points over the rate reported throughout the State. People who live in underserved and economically strained communities are often exposed to environmental factors that are not supportive of healthy lifestyles. This presentation describes a grass root strategy to empower communities to advocate for environments that are supportive of healthy choices. The Latino Health Collaborative, a coalition of community members and social service agencies, has implemented an innovative Community Academy for Health Advocacy and Leadership-CAHAL: a community-driven initiative to develop the community's capacity to address community- and systems-level barriers to health and wellness within their own neighborhoods. This presentation describes a) process for engaging mono-lingual Latino immigrants in health advocacy, b) process for developing the CAHAL, and b) community-driven advocacy that resulted in policy and system changes addressing community barriers to healthy choices.