title: Impact of a Culturally Sensitive Health Self-Empowerment Workshop Series on Health Behaviors/Lifestyles, BMI, and Blood Pressure of Culturally Diverse Overweight/Obese Adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine the impact of the Health Self-Empowerment Theory-based, culturally sensitive Health Self-Empowerment (HSE) Workshop Series to Modify and Prevent Obesity on levels of health promoting (health-smart) behaviors, motivators of and barriers to these behaviors, health promoting lifestyle variables, and health status indicators (Body Mass Index [BMI] and blood pressure) among a culturally diverse sample of overweight/obese adults from mostly low income households.
  
  
  METHODS
  153 overweight/obese adults participated in an Immediate Treatment (IT) Group (n= 100) or a Waitlist Control (WC) Group (n= 53).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post-intervention, the IT Group compared to the WC Group reported (a) significantly higher engagement in physical activity and healthy eating, (b) significantly less intake of calories, total fat, transfat, saturated fat, sugar, and added sugar, (c) significantly higher motivators for engaging in two of four specific health-smart behaviors, (d) significantly lower barriers to engaging in three of four specific health-smart behaviors, and (e) significantly lower BMI and systolic blood pressure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HSE Workshop Series may be an effective intervention for treating and preventing obesity among diverse low-income adults - individuals who often perceive/experience limited power over their health. Health care providers, particularly physicians, have important health empowerment roles in this intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, cmtucker@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, ambutler@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida (now with the Psychological Group of Washington), lilykayephd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lillian B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Kaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, sarnolan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sarah E M
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, dflenar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Delphia J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Flenar
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, marsiske@phhp.ufl.edu.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marsiske
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida (now with Department of Psychology, Yale University), mariebragg@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bragg
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Buffalo, elhoover@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Eddie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Florida (now with St. Mary's College of Maryland), kddaly@smcm.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Daly
keywords: empowerment; health promotion; low-income; minority; obesity