Improving health behaviors of Latina mothers of youth with developmental disabilities

Research shows that Latina mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are typically in poor physical health and have high rates of depression; yet services are often focused on the needs of the child and not on the needs of parental caregivers. In this poster (oral presentation?) we present findings from a culturally sensitive health education intervention based on a promotores de salud (lay health educators) model. The participants (n=100) were randomly assigned to the intervention and the control group (n=50 each), and were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaires both at baseline and at 3-month (end of intervention). The intervention group received one-to-one health education in the form of home visits by promotoras. Repeated measures ANOVA showed higher levels of self-efficacy in health and lower levels of caregiver burden for the intervention group. We also found that the intervention group reported more positive health behaviors for each of the specific subscales of exercise habits, nutrition habits, and self-care habits, as compared to the control group over time. In conclusion, our results suggest a promising health education intervention for Latina mothers who provide lifelong in-home care to their child with IDD.