Your Health Matters! (Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!): Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in Latino Families

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the efficacy of the Tu Salud, Si Cuenta! Familiar (TSSC-Family) intervention in facilitating positive changes in physical activity and nutrition among Latino adults not meeting physical activity or nutrition recommendations.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To test the effects of TSSC-Family on hypothesized intervention mechanisms (e.g., self-efficacy, stage of change, social support, social control), and the role of those mechanisms in mediating TSSC-Family effects of physical activity and nutrition outcomes.

OUTLINE: Participants are randomized to 1 of 2 groups.

GROUP I: Participants and their family member meet with a community health worker in their home over 90 minutes to learn about physical activity, healthy eating, and to set goals, once a month for 6 months. Participants also receive 2-5 text messages per week that contain health tips related to healthy lifestyles and information about local resources. Participants also attend a study visit with a research staff over 90-120 minutes at a community center, MD Anderson, or at home at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.

GROUP II: Participants and their family member meet with a community health worker in their home over 90 minutes to receive information on how to be safe and healthy at home and information about indoor air quality, home safety, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)/first aid, how to prepare for emergencies, and keeping pests away, once a month for 6 months. Participants also receive 2-5 text messages per week that contain information about healthy homes and local resources. Participants also attend a study visit with a research staff over 90-120 minutes at a community center, MD Anderson, or at home at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.

Inclusion criteria

• Self-reported Hispanic/Latino ethnicity.
• Speak English or Spanish.
• Physically able to engage in low-to-moderate physical activity (PA) as assessed by the PA Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), or with medical clearance.
• Insufficient self-reported moderate-to-vigorous PA (< 150 minutes/week) or limited fruits and vegetable (FV) intake (defined as less than or equal to 4 cups of FV combined or < 1 cup of vegetables per day).
• Able to enroll with one eligible adult family member.
• Valid home address in the Houston neighborhoods of Gulfton, the East End/Magnolia, Northside, Pasadena or adjacent neighborhoods.
• Have a functioning cellular telephone and able and willing to send and receive text messages.
• Blood pressure reading less than 160/100 mmHg, or with medical clearance.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy or considering pregnancy during the study period, self-reported.
• Currently participating in a program or research study to promote physical activity, healthy eating, or weight loss.
• Plans to move outside the greater Houston area during the study period.
• Past weight loss surgery.