Community‐based education program is effective in improving health outcomes in Hispanic mother‐daughter dyads

Abstract

Objective To assess the effect of a health education program targeting Hispanic teen girls and their mothers on weight and cardiovascular measures. Methods Hispanic teen girls (age: 12 – 19 yrs) and their mothers who attended a local Hispanic church were eligible to participate. At baseline and 4 months, height, weight, fasting cholesterol and glucose, and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max) were obtained. Five education sessions were then conducted from baseline to week 8, with teen sessions focused on physical activity and nutrition, and parent sessions focused on modeling good behavior. Statistics included t-tests and correlation matrix to examine the relationship between mother-daughter changes. For correlation matrix, mother-daughter dyads were randomly selected for families with more than one participating teen. Results Eleven teens (mean age: 13.4 yrs, mean BMI: 27.2 ± 1.7) and seven mothers (mean age: 39.6 yrs, mean BMI: 30.0 ± 1.8) completed the program. Change in health measures from baseline to 4 months are shown below: There was a significant positive correlation (p = .05) between changes in mothers and daughters with respect to BMI. Conclusions Targeting Hispanic mother-daughter dyads, in a community setting, is an effective method for implementing health change.