Abstract
BackgroundOverweight and obese children are likely to develop serious health problems. Among children in the U.S., Latino children are affected disproportionally by the obesity epidemic. Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) is a five-year, multi-faceted intervention study to decrease the rate of BMI growth in Mexican origin children in California’s Central Valley. This paper describes the methodology applied to develop and launch the study.Methods/DesignInvestigators use a community-based participatory research approach to develop a quasi-experimental intervention consisting of four main components including nutrition, physical activity, economic and art-community engagement. Each component’s definition, method of delivery, data collection and evaluation are described. Strategies to maintain engagement of the comparison community are reported as well.DiscussionWe present a study methodology for an obesity prevention intervention in communities with unique environmental conditions due to rural and isolated location, limited infrastructure capacity and limited resources. This combined with numerous cultural considerations and an unstable population with limited exposure to researcher expectations necessitates reassessment and adaptation of recruitment strategies, intervention delivery and data collection methods. Trial registration # NCT01900613.Trial registrationNCT01900613.
Highlights
Overweight and obese children are likely to develop serious health problems
This combined with numerous cultural considerations and an unstable population with limited exposure to researcher expectations necessitates reassessment and adaptation of recruitment strategies, intervention delivery and data collection methods
In attempt to address the dearth of literature in the field of childhood obesity prevention for the growing Latino community and data suggesting that underlying community factors may impact these rates, we develop Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (NSFS), a five-year multifaceted intervention study targeting California’s Mexican-origin communities
Summary
Careful consideration and strategies are required to maximize recruitment and retention of this hard to reach population of both the intervention and comparison communities. Securing access to a second site, a classroom in the local community college, required more than six months of negotiation between UCD and the college to formalize liability management Another critical factor for success of nutrition education is cultural adaptation and tailoring of nutrition messages. Due to these factors, Spanish-speaking participants must individually keep track of remaining funds or call the field office for assistance. The retail store in the comparison community severed our relationship just prior to implementation They were not going to receive a financial incentive to allow scanner data collection and decided it was not in their interest to participate.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
