Regular physical activity and balanced nutrition are important in maintaining a healthy weight. Nonetheless, minority populations, like Hispanics, face challenges (e.g., language barriers and transportation unavailability) that limit their participation in intervention programs to receive benefits. Furthermore, dog companionship has been shown to…

Growth mixture models (GMMs) are applied to intervention studies with repeated measures to explore heterogeneity in the intervention effect. However, traditional GMMs are known to be difficult to estimate, especially at sample sizes common in single-center interventions. Common strategies to coerce GMMs to converge involve post hoc adjustments to…

Previous studies have suggested the impact of intervention fidelity on the management and prevention of chronic diseases; however, little is known about the effect of the contributing determinants (at multiple levels of influence) that can impact health-related interventions intending to improve the health status of Hispanic adolescents with…

Objective: In this paper, we describe an approach to engage young children in evaluating the impact of "La Vida Buena," a community health worker-led childhood obesity intervention for Latino children aged 5-8 years. Design: This paper describes the collaborative process used to pilot, refine, implement and evaluate evaluation…

Growth mixture models (GMMs) are applied to intervention studies with repeated measures to explore heterogeneity in the intervention effect. However, traditional GMMs are known to be difficult to estimate, especially at sample sizes common in single-center interventions. Common strategies to coerce GMMs to converge involve post-hoc adjustments to…

This study examined the effectiveness of a physical activity (PA) intervention among obese Hispanic children delivered by a free mobile phone game application (app) recommended by a pediatrician. A sample of 40 (age M=10.16[2.01] years) children participated in this pilot study. Pre- and posttest data were collected on participants' PA attitudes,…

Efforts to combat the U.S. obesity epidemic have been ongoing in earnest for nearly two decades, informed by a substantial body of knowledge and guided by numerous programmatic and policy recommendations. Yet, although there are some bright spots, I sense frustration in the public health community with the overall lack of clear progress in…

Objective: To characterize the heterogeneity in response to lifestyle intervention among Latino adolescents with obesity. Methods: We conducted secondary data analysis of 90 Latino adolescents (age 15.4 ± 0.9 y, female 56.7%) with obesity (BMI% 98.1 ± 1.5%) that were enrolled in a 3 month lifestyle intervention and were followed for a year.…

Background: Childhood obesity among Hispanic children is a public health concern in the United States and Mexico. Although experiences from school-based intervention programs aimed at influencing obesity-related behaviors have been positive, the understanding of those framework elements that are associated with successful outcomes is limited. The…

Background: Latinos in the United States are at heightened risk for obesity and health disparities, yet community-based interventions to promote health are limited. Purpose: This research examined the feasibility and efficacy of a culturally relevant obesity prevention program (Vivir Sano), which included stress reduction and behavioral lifestyle…

This study examined within-group differences in obesity-related dietary behaviors and the health status of 156 Latino students at risk for diabetes due to family history. Approximately 58% of students were overweight and/or obese, with female students reporting a greater risk for diabetes. Consumption of meats, fried potatoes, breads, and…

This study investigated the direct and indirect effects of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors in predicting disordered eating behaviors in girls with overweight/obesity. A total of 135 Hispanic and African American girls ([x-bar][subscript age] = 11.13 ± 1.54 years) completed surveys assessing the desire to be thinner, peer…

Background: Healthy eating is important for obesity control. Dietary interventions target the adoption of behavioral strategies to increase fiber and decrease fat consumption. However, little is known about the contributions of psychosocial factors to the use of these strategies. Purpose: This study examined psychosocial correlates of behavioral…

Childhood obesity is a public health threat that disproportionally affects Latino youth in the United States. Active and Healthy Families (AHF) is a culturally tailored, family-based program for addressing obesity disparities in a predominantly immigrant Latino population. AHF was the first primary care, culturally tailored intervention for Latino…

More than 60% of cancer-related deaths in the United States are attributable to tobacco use, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity, and these risk factors tend to cluster together. Thus, strategies for cancer risk reduction would benefit from addressing multiple health risk behaviors. We adapted an evidence-based intervention grounded in social…