Childhood Obesity & Nutrition

Child abuse and neglect for adverse child experiences is a global concern. Negative child health risks in this population are many and include childhood obesity related to malnutrition. Decreasing the risk for childhood obesity in Latino children can be successful using culturally tailored nutrition programs targeting parents of preschoolers. This project implements a nationally validated nutrition program using a quasi-experimental, before and after design, conducted in Summer 2020. The target population is Latino families with history of child abuse and neglect participating in behavioral health services in the US southwest. The program goal is to increase the knowledge base in nutrition and healthy food selection in the target population. A partnership between a nonprofit community behavioral health services organization and a university-affiliated, federally funded nutrition program was presented to Latino families at risk for poverty and food scarcity. Participants volunteered through intra-agency recruitment attending an 8-week course of one-hour modules using the ZOOM on-line platform for instruction. Simulation learning experiences, guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, encouraged self-efficacy for behavioral changes in healthy food selection. Intervention evaulation, guided by the Logic Model, includes program outcomes, impact, and stakeholder resources and inputs. Data analysis is a comparison of participant’s pre-test and post-test knowledge and behaviors of healthy food selection with national EFNEP data. This collaborative effort provides an opportunity to reverse adult health risks related to childhood obesity based on national, state, and local community alliances sharing scare resources to make a collective impact.