Selección Sana, Vida Saludable (Healthy Choices, Healthy Life): A culturally appropriate Nutrition and Physical Activity Program using Community Health Workers as Agents of Change in underserved Latino Communities

Research is needed to develop education initiatives that reach Latino populations and present information in an understandable and practical form.  Selección Sana, Vida Saludable used the promotores de salud (community health workers) model to help low-income Latinos with limited English proficiency to navigate their communities in search of resources for healthy eating and physicl activity. 

Promotores in nine communities were trained to conduct environmental scans to assess the strengths and needs of their community, conducted educational outreach, and served as a link between the community and other resources. 

A total of 787 Latino community members participated in the charlas (educational sessions). Participants completed self-report surveys that assessed levels of health knowledge and fitness at three time points (i.e., pre-charla, post-charla, and 3-month follow-up). A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to examine knowledge scores across time. Among those that had data at each time point (N = 379), the pre-knowledge score mean was 4.6 (SD = 1.9), post-knowledge score mean was 5.8 (SD = 2.2), and the follow-up knowledge score mean was 7.1 (SD = 2.0). Seleccion Sana, Vida Saludable had a statistically significant effect on knowledge levels across time, F(1.857, 702.101) = 195.903, p< .001.

The project has important public health implications and serves as a model to address health disparities among Latinos in the U.S.  Interventions that address obesity among Latinos will not only need to address the biological causes of obesity, but also the cultural and contextual implications that influence poor eating and physical activity behaviors.