Abstract
Background/Aims Mexican-American women are at particularly high risk for obesity and associated comorbidities. This pilot study tested the feasibility of a culturally-tailored weight-loss intervention aimed at obese Spanish-speaking Mexican-American women.
Methods The intervention consisted of 6 months of weekly sessions followed by 6 monthly sessions. All sessions were 90-minutes long and conducted in group format, in Spanish. Cultural adaptations included: women only groups, minimum of written materials, focus on Mexican traditions and health beliefs, intensive skill-building tasks around food measurement. This study had a truly open-door policy, with a minimum criteria for inclusion that did not screen out individuals generally considered poor candidates for retention in research studies.
Results Recruitment exceeded expectations, with 47 participants enrolling in the study. Mean weight loss at 6 and 12 months was 5.3 and 7.1 kg, with a mean reduction in BMI of 2.8 at 12 months. At 6 months, there was a significant reduction from baseline levels in total daily energy intake (mean reduction = 899 kcal), percentage of calories from fat (mean reduction 5.4%), and total sugar intake (mean reduction 29%). There were significant increases in percent of calories from protein and number of vegetable servings.
Discussion It is feasible to implement culturally appropriate behavioral interventions for obesity treatment. Our experience suggests the need to implement culturally sensitive intervention formats and alternative gold standards for retention success in “real life” settings with minority populations. Potential directions and options for dissemination of this intervention program will be discussed.
