Volume 27, Issue 1: February, 2000

Abstract

RESULTS OF LANGUAGE FOR HEALTH: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR LATINO ENGLISH-AS-A-SECOND-LANGUAGE STUDENTS

John P. Elder, PhD, MPH, Jeanette I. Candelaria, MPH, Susan I. Woodruff, PhD, Michael H. Criqui, MD, MPH, Gregory A. Talavera, MD, MPH, and Joan W. Rup, MS, RD

This report presents the final evaluation of Language for Health, part of a federally funded initiative to develop heart disease prevention interventions for low-literate populations. Language for Health specifically intervened with recent immigrants enrolled in English-as-a-second-language classes, incorporating nutritional behavior change materials into English-language curricula. Latino participants (n = 732) were exposed to either nutrition education or stress management classes (attention-placebo group) designed specifically for low-English- literate adults. Participants completed physiological measures assessing blood pressure, total and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, waist and hip circumference, and weight. Self-report surveys were administered to collect students' nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, self-reported fat avoidance behaviors, and demographic information. Data were collected at baseline, 3-month posttest, and 6-month follow-up. Results indicated long-term effects of the intervention on nutrition knowledge and fat avoidance, yet only short-term effects on total cholesterol:HDL ratio and systolic blood pressure.