A Health Care Plan's Unique Community-Driven Outreach Strategy to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Eating Behaviors in Low-Income Communities of Color

In the current era of rising health care costs and crippling health disparities impacting vulnerable populations, sound investments in effective prevention efforts are crucial. In responding to this call for action, L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation's largest health care plan, has prioritized prevention through empowering key community stakeholders in outreach and decision-making, targeting prevention efforts to areas of highest need, and building sustainable community assets among underserved populations of color. This video will outline the efforts of the L.A. Care Regional Community Advisory Committees (RCACs) have undergone to actively engage historically under-resourced communities of color in physical activity and healthy nutrition programming as a means to reduce the burden of obesity and improve quality of life in vulnerable populations.

At the center of its community outreach efforts, L.A. Care maintains 11 Regional Community Advisory Committees (RCACs), coalitions of L.A. Care members, consumers, community advocates, physicians, and allied health care providers residing or operating within designated geographical areas throughout Los Angeles County. RCAC members are strategically positioned to plan and execute community events, advise L.A. Care employees on the specific needs of their respective communities, and perform direct educational outreach activities within their personal networks.

The most recent RCAC community outreach project, the Nutrition and Zumba Series, successfully recruited 415 high-risk community members to a 12-week nutrition and physical activity promotion pilot project which yielded significant weight loss, increased nutrition and exercise knowledge, and improved self-efficacy to participate in physical activity and select healthy food options. Successes, lessons learned, and future directions will be discussed in this video.

L.A. Care's unique approach to integrating community input and action into its programming provides a model example for other health care organizations tasked with leveraging limited resources and personnel to preserve the health of underserved low-income communities.