Human Ecology Undergraduate Honors Research ScholarshipThis study evaluates the effectiveness of a community based nutrition intervention for low-income Latinos in central Ohio. The Healthy Latino Families Program (HLFP) included healthy cooking and nutrition classes, and aerobic workouts for 20 weeks. In order to measure dietary intake improvements, a 22-item Spanish version food behavior checklist was administered to 53 Latino families before and after participation. Bi-variate analyses indicated a significant improvement for most items. Consumption of fruit per day increased for adults (p<0.001) and both adults and children reported eating more varieties of fruits (p<0.01). Three times as many adults began using food labels to select foods (p=0.0001) and the number of adults and children choosing low-fat food increased (p<0.01). The number of adults and children consuming soft drinks was cut in half (p<0.01). Our findings show that the intervention improved self reported food behavior in adults and children of this population. Future research should evaluate similar intervention programs for effectiveness, and incorporate more incentives to attend weekly classes. Funded by: the Ohio Commission on Minorities Health, the Department of Human Nutrition, and Centro Esperanza Latina.Ohio Commission on Minorities HealthOSU Department of Human NutritionCentro Esperanza LatinaNo embarg
