Salud Con Sabor Latino: Changing Nutritional Health Behaviors through Community Health Clubs in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Background: The Community Health Club model is a community- based, participatory education model that promotes participant well-being and empowers underserved community members to create sustainable health behavior changes. Community Health Clubs have been widely adopted in lowand middle-income countries, but the model has only recently been adapted for and begun receiving attention in the United States. This article describes the use of Community Health Clubs in a resource-poor community in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas by utilizing a curriculum adapted for Hispanic populations called Salud Con Sabor Latino. The purpose of this article is to assess the impact of the Salud Con Sabor Latino curriculum on Community Health Club participants' nutritional and physical activity knowledge and behaviors and describe other impacts of the model on participants' physical, mental, and social well-being. Methods: The study was conducted in Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley in July 2019. A mixed methods study design was utilized, combining pre- and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention interviews. Surveys assessed the impact of the curriculum on participants' nutritional and physical activity knowledge and behaviors. Interviews assessed the effect on participants' social, emotional, and mental well-being. Results: Participants were significantly (p=0.01) more likely to report consuming protein in the past 24 hours at post-intervention. Participants were significantly more likely to report greater than 30 minutes of exercise per day at post-intervention (p=0.05) and significantly less likely to report a lack of energy as a barrier to engaging in physical activity at post-intervention (p=0.02). Qualitative interviews showed improved mental well-being, increased motivation due to positive peer pressure, and reduced social isolation. Conclusions: Community Health Clubs seem to improve participant well-being through participatory education, collective behavior change, social support, and positive peer pressure. This study shows that the Community Health Club model can be utilized within Texas' Lower Rio Grande Valley and possibly other marginalized communities within the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]