Abuelas en Acción: A promising faith-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles among older Latinas

Issues: Older Latinas are particularly vulnerable for unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and the resultant chronic diseases. The significance of the Catholic faith to Latinos is substantial. Religious context and content may facilitate low-cost, sustainable lifestyle interventions in this population. Description: The Abuelas en Acción (Grandmothers in Action) program explored the feasibility of implementing a behavioral change program addressing physical activity, nutrition, and stress management for Mexican women age 50+ residing in a predominately Latino Chicago community. AEA partnered with a Roman Catholic parish and several community leaders (promotoras) to develop and deliver a curriculum which incorporated religious content (i.e. scriptural references, stories from the lives of prominent Catholic figures or saints, hymns, and prayers). The program consisted of one-on-one meetings, six monthly educational workshops, and weekly phone-calls. The religious content was chosen by church leaders to relate specifically to each workshop’s theme. Lessons learned: From qualitative interviews with fifteen participants, two church leaders, and four promotoras; the following three outcomes were among the most frequently mentioned. First, the faith-based content of the workshop encouraged acceptance and retention of the information. Second, the program filled a need for a social support network. Third, the religious content in each workshop was found to be among the most enjoyable aspects of the program. Recommendations: The program’s success largely depended on the promotoras who had the greatest time commitment to AEA. Inviting former participants to co-deliver the program may be an alternative to reduce the work of promotoras and sustain this type of faith-based intervention.