Obesity prevention in adolescent hispanic/Latino females: A systematic review and synthesis of the literature

Background:Latino youth represent an important segment of the population, and are the fastest growing minority group in the US. The prevalence of adolescent obesity among Latinas has more than doubled since 1960. Hispanic females represent the second highest-obesity prevalence among adolescents. Although much research has focused on childhood obesity interventions, few have focused on adolescent gender-ethnic specific interventions. Given that overweight adolescents are 70% more likely to become overweight/obese adults, it is important to target this high risk group due to the opportunity in prevention effect. The purpose of this research is to describe the current literature on interventions aimed to reduce teen obesity among Latino females, examine the intervention characteristics regarding program effectiveness and provide recommendations on future research. Methods: Databases including MEDLINE, PubMed, and Highwire were searched for literature from the last 10 years to identify obesity prevention programs for Hispanic female adolescents. Peer-reviewed references from relevant studies were also searched. Inclusion criteria for the study included multi-component programs that aimed to reduce or prevent obesity through nutrition and physical activity, focusing primarily on Latino/Hispanic teens ages 12-18.Key words used were “adolescent” “obesity/overweight, ”Latina/Hispanic,” and “intervention.” Results: Preliminary findings of literature reveal limited interventions for this particular ethnic group and age. Many obesity prevention efforts utilize a one-size fits all approach with multi-ethnic, mixed age and gender sampling sizing. Conclusions: Little is known about culturally appropriate interventions that focus on obesity prevention in the female Hispanic adolescent.Future research should focus on culturally appropriate and ethnic-gender specific interventions.