“It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program
Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) among Hispanic and other minority adolescents in the U.S. lag behind White, non-Hispanic adolescents. Previous studies have examined the beneficial impact of culturally informed, community-based health programs within the Hispanic community on PA levels. Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17737-1 |
| _version_ | 1797349674361815040 |
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| author | Bethany Korom Meghan Malloy Caroline Remmers Elizabeth Welsch Mari Cevilla Zecilia Alamillo-Roman Daniela Torres Kelly Dione David Nelson |
| author_facet | Bethany Korom Meghan Malloy Caroline Remmers Elizabeth Welsch Mari Cevilla Zecilia Alamillo-Roman Daniela Torres Kelly Dione David Nelson |
| author_sort | Bethany Korom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) among Hispanic and other minority adolescents in the U.S. lag behind White, non-Hispanic adolescents. Previous studies have examined the beneficial impact of culturally informed, community-based health programs within the Hispanic community on PA levels. There is a need for longer term follow up to determine the impact on family and individual habits over time. Our study aims to explore the aspects of a two-year PA and nutrition program, Families Inspired Together 4 Youth Empowered to Succeed (FIT4YES), that continue to influence family health habits and child development. Methods Community-based focus groups were held in Milwaukee, WI with Hispanic parent participants of the FIT4YES program three years after program conclusion. A semi-structured guide of open-ended questions was used to facilitate the discussion of the lasting impact of FIT4YES. Each group was audio recorded, transcribed, and translated from Spanish when necessary. Four student researchers utilized a grounded theory qualitative approach to identify overarching themes. Results Three focus groups with 16 total parents (N = 16) spoke about the program. Three overarching themes emerged from the transcripts indicating that cultural exposure, relationships, and self-growth were necessary for families to sustain the healthy behaviors promoted in FIT4YES. Specifically, parents discussed increased comfort levels with their children participating in school sports, the impact of shared experiences with community members, and continued skills initially taught and practiced during active programming. Conclusions Our group adapted our previously published model to a “post-program” state that incorporated the major themes and sub-themes with levels of the social-ecological model. Although the FIT4YES program ended, multiple ideals instilled by the program continued, we believe, due to the common themes illustrated by our model. This study utilized a community check-in approach to gain insight into the long-term impacts of the FIT4YES program. We propose three recommendations for consideration in the creation of community-based health programs: utilize dynamic, culturally appropriate components based on the intended community; understand the strength of the program as a whole is dependent on the strength of each individual component; and incorporate an anchor institution for consistency and trust within the community. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:33:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ce36c66326154500aa16fea1e9dccb77 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:33:48Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce36c66326154500aa16fea1e9dccb772024-01-21T12:38:45ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582024-01-0124111010.1186/s12889-024-17737-1“It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion programBethany Korom0Meghan Malloy1Caroline Remmers2Elizabeth Welsch3Mari Cevilla4Zecilia Alamillo-Roman5Daniela Torres6Kelly Dione7David Nelson8Medical College of WisconsinMedical College of WisconsinMedical College of WisconsinMedical College of WisconsinUnited Community CenterUnited Community CenterUnited Community CenterUniversity of WI – MadisonMedical College of WisconsinAbstract Background Physical activity (PA) among Hispanic and other minority adolescents in the U.S. lag behind White, non-Hispanic adolescents. Previous studies have examined the beneficial impact of culturally informed, community-based health programs within the Hispanic community on PA levels. There is a need for longer term follow up to determine the impact on family and individual habits over time. Our study aims to explore the aspects of a two-year PA and nutrition program, Families Inspired Together 4 Youth Empowered to Succeed (FIT4YES), that continue to influence family health habits and child development. Methods Community-based focus groups were held in Milwaukee, WI with Hispanic parent participants of the FIT4YES program three years after program conclusion. A semi-structured guide of open-ended questions was used to facilitate the discussion of the lasting impact of FIT4YES. Each group was audio recorded, transcribed, and translated from Spanish when necessary. Four student researchers utilized a grounded theory qualitative approach to identify overarching themes. Results Three focus groups with 16 total parents (N = 16) spoke about the program. Three overarching themes emerged from the transcripts indicating that cultural exposure, relationships, and self-growth were necessary for families to sustain the healthy behaviors promoted in FIT4YES. Specifically, parents discussed increased comfort levels with their children participating in school sports, the impact of shared experiences with community members, and continued skills initially taught and practiced during active programming. Conclusions Our group adapted our previously published model to a “post-program” state that incorporated the major themes and sub-themes with levels of the social-ecological model. Although the FIT4YES program ended, multiple ideals instilled by the program continued, we believe, due to the common themes illustrated by our model. This study utilized a community check-in approach to gain insight into the long-term impacts of the FIT4YES program. We propose three recommendations for consideration in the creation of community-based health programs: utilize dynamic, culturally appropriate components based on the intended community; understand the strength of the program as a whole is dependent on the strength of each individual component; and incorporate an anchor institution for consistency and trust within the community.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17737-1HispanicCommunity-based interventionDynamic modelNutrition & physical activityLong-term follow-up |
| spellingShingle | Bethany Korom Meghan Malloy Caroline Remmers Elizabeth Welsch Mari Cevilla Zecilia Alamillo-Roman Daniela Torres Kelly Dione David Nelson “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program BMC Public Health Hispanic Community-based intervention Dynamic model Nutrition & physical activity Long-term follow-up |
| title | “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program |
| title_full | “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program |
| title_fullStr | “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program |
| title_short | “It Takes a Village”: Reflections from participants after a Hispanic community-based health promotion program |
| title_sort | it takes a village reflections from participants after a hispanic community based health promotion program |
| topic | Hispanic Community-based intervention Dynamic model Nutrition & physical activity Long-term follow-up |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17737-1 |
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