A parent focused intervention of school age children aimed to promote healthy lifestyles of hispanic families

Healthy behaviors in children are largely influenced by home culture and reinforced by parents. Few interventions have been directed at changing the behavior of the family unit in the Hispanic population who have an increased risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus. Several school-based programs target promoting healthy lifestyles of children but few incorporate the parents in increasing healthy lifestyle choices. This study was aimed at creating an effective intervention directed towards the Hispanic population of parents and students. It focuses on empowering parents of school-age children to choose healthy lifestyle behaviors by increasing awareness and knowledge of identified needs. Partnering with Ulysses Grant Elementary School (UGES) who are 92% Hispanic, a knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) survey assessed healthy lifestyle habits of 10-20 parents, and a focus group of 8-10 parents was performed guided by the Health Belief Model. The focus group assessed healthy lifestyle behaviors, needs, and perceptions of how parent's health behavior habits impact their child's choices. Data was analyzed from these interviews to create a curriculum addressing the needs of the parents and a series of motivational lectures and hands-on activities were implemented. A post-KAP survey was used to assess effectiveness of the intervention after the last lecture was conducted. The intervention increased awareness of how parent's role modeling behaviors and culture of the family unit impact their children's healthy behaviors. Further research needs to be conducted targeting the effectiveness of parent-focused interventions in reducing childhood obesity.