Incorporating an Increase in Plant-Based Food Choices into a Model of Culturally Responsive Care for Hispanic/Latino Children and Adults Who Are Overweight/Obese

Pramil N. Singh, Jessica Steinbach, Anna Nelson, Wendy Shih, Mary D’Avila, Selene Castilla, Michael Jordan, William J. McCarthy, David Hayes-Bautista and Hector Flores
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Pramil N. Singh: Center for Health Research, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
Jessica Steinbach: Center for Health Research, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
Anna Nelson: School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
Wendy Shih: School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
Mary D’Avila: Diabetes Education Center, Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
Selene Castilla: Diabetes Education Center, Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
Michael Jordan: Research and Center for Hispanic Health, Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
William J. McCarthy: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
David Hayes-Bautista: Center for Study of Latino Health and Culture, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Hector Flores: Department of Family Medicine, Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-13

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 (Z post-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/m 2 , p = 0.01) than in women (BMI post-pre = ?0.12 kg/m 2 , 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.

Keywords: diabetes; vegetarian diet; nutrition; metabolic syndrome; obesity; disparity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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