A Formative Evaluation of a Community Healthcare Intervention to Promote Dietary, Nutrition Health, and Physical Activity in Hispanic Youth

Issues: The prevalence of overweight and obese children in the United States remains a major public health concern. Hispanic youth when compared to other racial and ethnic groups are more likely to be overweight and/or obese. To target this group of the Hispanic population, a community healthcare initiative established by the University Health System Bexar County, named Youth in Motion (YiM), has been developed. YiM responds to this public health concern by educating Hispanic youth (ages 6-17) and their respective caregivers on the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle at an early age.

Description: An evaluation of YiM assessed programmatic processes associated with the implementation, delivery and evaluation of this 16-week intervention. The mix-method approach included before/after anthropometric measurements, key informant interviews and focus groups in order to identify the efficacy of the program.

Lessons Learned: This assessment reveals that the effectiveness of the program was impacted by socioeconomic issues, school policy, and distance of the intervention from home. The classroom analysis showed that 88% of the participants were Hispanic (n=277), with a mean age of 12.21 (SD= 2.55). Preliminary findings proved self-reported fast food consumption to be one to two times per week for 48%, one soda per day for 43%, and limited physical activity during the course of a week for 77%.

Recommendations: Additional analysis will compare pre- and post-intervention differences in both behavior and clinical outcomes; broader evaluation of YiM will guide future development, implementation, and assessment of interventions targeting high-risk adolescent populations.