Abstract

Introduction: The national rate of obesity in US Hispanic/Latinos exceeds all other major ethnic subgroups and represents an important health disparity. Plant-based diet interventions that emphasize whole plant foods with minimal processing and less refined grains and sugar have shown great promise in control of obesity, but there is a paucity of data translating this treatment effect to disparate populations. The objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program (HELP) for accomplishing weight management in a hospital-based, family centered, culturally tailored, plant-based diet intervention for Hispanic/Latino children who were overweight or obese. Methods: Our mixed methods evaluation included: (1) A one arm study to measure changes in body mass index (BMI) from pre- to post-intervention, and (2) A stakeholder analysis of the program staff. Results: For children ages 5–12 years who were overweight/obese, we found no evidence of excess weight gain evidenced by BMI Z scores (Zpost-pre = −0.02, p = 0.11). Among the parent/guardians who were overweight or obese, we found a decrease in BMI that was stronger in men (BMI post-pre = −0.75 kg/m2, p = 0.01) than in women (BMI post-pre = −0.12 kg/m2, p = 0.30). A program strength was the cultural tailoring of the plant-based diet choices. Conclusions: The evaluation raises the possibility that incorporating intervention components of HELP (plant-based food choices, family-based, cultural tailoring) into pediatric weight management can improve the standard of care.

Highlights

  • The national rate of obesity in US Hispanic/Latinos exceeds all other major ethnic subgroups and represents an important health disparity

  • For Hispanic/Latino children, a similar disparity in the obesity trend was found in the national data (26% Hispanic/Latino; 22% Black; 11% Asian; 14% White) [1,2]

  • Our findings from the Healthy Eating Lifestyle Program (HELP) program indicate that for Hispanic/Latino children who were overweight/obese and lived in a medically underserved region of East Los Angeles, a culture-specific, family-tailored plant-based diet intervention prevented a significant increase in adiposity as measured by body mass index (BMI) Z-score

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Summary

Introduction

The national rate of obesity in US Hispanic/Latinos exceeds all other major ethnic subgroups and represents an important health disparity. Plant-based diet interventions that emphasize whole plant foods with minimal processing and less refined grains and sugar have shown great promise in control of obesity, but there is a paucity of data translating this treatment effect to disparate populations. Lifestyle Program (HELP) for accomplishing weight management in a hospital-based, family centered, culturally tailored, plant-based diet intervention for Hispanic/Latino children who were overweight or obese. Plant-based diet interventions that emphasize whole plant foods with minimal processing and less refined grains and added sugars have shown great promise in control of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In a systematic review of 9 randomized controlled trials of plant-based diets for T2DM patients, Toumpanikis et al [5] reported that: (1) 8 out of 9 found a clinically important decrease in HbA1c levels, and (2) 6 out of 9 reported reduction or discontinuation of diabetes medication

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