Salud Heroes: A web series showcasing community members making healthy changes towards Latino childhood obesity

Introduction

1. Latino children are more obese/overweight than other children. In response, Salud America! developed the Growing Healthy Change online platform to help identify Latino communities and role models who are ready to create or already creating local, state, and national healthy changes. The platform features the Salud Hero video series of real-life individuals and groups who are collaborating to contribute to obesity-reduction policies. Salud Hero videos aim to empower additional community change in these areas:: healthier school snacks, sugary drinks, better foods in the neighborhood, healthier marketing, active play, and active spaces.

Methods

1. Salud Hero role models are identified by one of three content curators. Curators use an evidence-based Policy Contribution Spectrum to develop a written case study that describes how the role model contributed to the emergence, development, enactment, and implementation of a policy change. The case study goes to a TV producer/director who next develops a potential video script for a video documentary 3-5 minutes in length.  Video production involves a two-camera setup for role model testimonials, and various media technique to dynamical capturing footage of event and/or policy change. Videos are edited to combine both on-camera elements and a Latino narrator to guide viewers throughout the policy change process. Videos are edited and uploaded to the SaludToday YouTube page, and subsequently the Salud America! Growing Healthy Change platform.

Results

1. More than 15 Salud Hero videos have been completed and uploaded to the Growing Healthy Change platform since the site launched in February 2014, giving viewers the opportunity to watch role models (who are just like them) and learn the steps needed to create a healthy policy change, which they can then apply in their own community. Preliminary anecdotal response to the videos is overwhelmingly positive, and views of the videos are higher than most other platform content.

Discussions

1. The Salud Hero video series proves the worthiness of film in encapsulating the policy change process, educating viewers about that process, and demonstrating its applicability in one’s own city or region. This series also shows how video can be an integral component of a community awareness and empowerment tool box, and provide a road map for application of policy change.