Evaluation of the Centro Latino of Hickory Nutrición Y Zumba Pilot Program

Background. A small baccalaureate college partnered with a non-profit agency to pilot a program designed to reduce obesity rates among Latinas. Eighty-two women participated in the three month pilot, which focused on health at any size by combining bilingual nutrition classes, Zumba classes, and healthy Latino cooking lessons. Pilot goals were to increase participants' awareness of their own health indicators; test whether the program resulted in weight loss; and gather initial descriptive results. Methodology. Mean weight and waist circumference as well as BMI categorical frequency counts were analyzed using data collection intake forms. One-tailed dependent sample t-tests were run to test mean weight and waist circumference loss for women completing at least 90% of the 24 sessions. Results. Collection of BMI revealed that 14% of the sample (n = 55) was categorized as normal, with the remaining defined as overweight (47%), obese (30%), and extreme obesity (9%). Mean weight loss in the program (n = 10) was 2.7 lb, t(9) = 2.08, p = .03, d = .67, with mean waist circumference loss being non significant, t(9) = 0.87, p = .20, d = .28. Discussion. Data collection training was limited which decreased the reliability of the waist circumference measure (SE = 2.3cm). However, the effect size for waist circumference indicates that with a larger sample, statistical significance is likely. Even with a small sample, weight loss was observed for women attending 90% of the program, and participants perceived other health benefits such as improved mental health and social support.