Culturally Appropriate Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs: Using Lay Health Workers as Agents of Change in Latino Communities

Introduction: Healthy eating and physical activity have received increased attention as a vital disease prevention strategy. However, research is needed to develop education initiatives that reach underserved populations and present information in an understandable and practical form.

The present study is a partnership between the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) Institute for Hispanic Health (IHH) and the ConAgra Foods Foundation. IHH tested and evaluated a culturally tailored intervention administered by lay health workers and designed to equip Latinos with resources needed to improve nutrition and undertake physical activity.

Methods: Lay health workers were trained in three cities to conduct environmental scans, as part of a larger initiative focused on increasing Latinos' awareness of the risk factors for heart disease. The environmental scans resulted in the development of community-specific resource lists of healthy food choices and sites at which to engage in physical activity. These resource lists were then disseminated to community members through educational sessions. As part of the same initiative, the health workers also offered culturally tailored cooking demonstrations to community members.

Results: Data collected from the demonstrations indicate that participants embraced the idea of cooking their typical recipes in a healthier way. The vast majority of participants (95%) stated an intention to change their cooking habits by using low-fat ingredients available in their neighborhoods.

Discussion: Study results suggest that people's desire to be healthy, coupled with knowledge of how to be healthy with one's community resources, will go a long way in improving a community's health.