title: Community-based cardiovascular disease prevention to reduce cardiometabolic risk in Latina women: a pilot program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, yet significant health disparities exist for high-risk groups, including Latinas, and comprehensive, culturally relevant, and effective prevention intervention models are lacking. We used a systems approach to develop, assess, and pilot a community-based education program for improving outcomes for knowledge/awareness of CVD, cardiometabolic risk, and health behaviors in Latinas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Latinas (n=35, mean age 50) participated in a 4-month community-based bilingual preventive cardiovascular education program. Pre/post analyses were for knowledge/awareness of CVD risk factors, symptoms, calling 911; personal risk factors (smoking, physical inactivity, family history of CVD); clinical parameters (weight, body mass index [BMI], waist, blood pressure, fasting lipids, and glucose); diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MetS); and serum inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, high-sensitivity C reactive protein [hsCRP], and interleukin [IL]-12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline knowledge/awareness was relatively low, risk factors and MetS prevalent, and serum inflammatory markers elevated. Postintervention, participants demonstrated significant (p<0.05) improvements in knowledge of symptoms, risk factors for CVD, calling 911, and knowledge/adoption of heart-healthy behaviors. Clinical health status also improved, especially for serum triglycerides (p<0.05; 21% decline), prevalence of MetS (from 43% to 37% of participants), and serum levels of the proinflammatory TNF-α (from 16.9 ± 1.11 pg/mL to 13.5 ± 0.8 pg/mL, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A bilingual culturally appropriate community-based CVD-prevention program based on health education, medical screenings, and empowerment is a successful, effective, adaptable, and replicable model to significantly improve cardiometabolic risk in Latinas.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California , Davis, Davis, California.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nunez de Ybarra
authors.forename: Amparo C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Villablanca
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D055815:Young Adult