Tu Salud, ¡Si Cuenta!: Exposure to a community-wide campaign and its associations with physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among individuals of Mexican descent.
Mexican Americans along the US-Mexico border have been found to be disproportionately affected by chronic diseases particularly related to lack of physical activity and healthful food choices. A community-wide campaign (CWC) is an evidence-based strategy to address these behaviors but with few examples of implementation in Mexican descent populations facing profound health disparities. We examined exposure to a CWC, titled Tu Salud ¡Sí Cuenta!, and its association with meeting the recommended minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity weekly and consuming more portions of fruits and vegetables daily. A cross-sectional sample of 1438 Mexican descent participants was drawn from a city-wide, randomly-selected cohort interviewed between the years 2008 and 2012. Multivariable comparisons of participants exposed and not exposed to the CWC and meeting physical activity guidelines or their fruit and vegetable consumptions using mixed effects models were conducted. The community-wide campaign components included different forms of mass media and individually-focused components such as community health worker (CHW) home visits. After adjusting for gender, age, marital status, educational attainment, language preference, health insurance, and diabetes diagnosis, the strongest association was found between meeting physical activity guidelines and exposure to both CHW discussions and radio messages (adjusted OR = 3.83; 95% CI = [1.28, 6.21]; p = 0.0099). Participants who reported exposure to both radio and TV messages consumed more portions of fruits and vegetables than those who reported no exposure (adjusted RR = 1.30; 95% CI = [1.02, 1.66]; p = 0.0338). This study provides insights into the implementation and behavioral outcomes associated with exposure to a community-wide campaign, a potential model for addressing lifestyle modifications in populations affected by health disparities.
University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, Division of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences and Hispanic Health Research Center, One West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA. Electronic address: Belinda.M.Reininger@uth.tmc.edu.
Belinda M
BM
Reininger
University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, Hispanic Health Research Center, One West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.
Lisa
L
Mitchell-Bennett
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, 6410 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
MinJae
M
Lee
University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, Hispanic Health Research Center, One West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.
Rose Z
RZ
Gowen
University of Tennessee, College of Education, Health, and Human Services Department of Public Health, 390 HPER 1914 Andy Holt, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Cristina S
CS
Barroso
University of Georgia, College of Public Health, Division of Health Promotion and Behavior, 311 Ramsey Center, 330 River Rd, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Jennifer L
JL
Gay
University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Brownsville Regional Campus, Hispanic Health Research Center, One West University Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA.
Mayra Vanessa
MV
Saldana
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology*; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables
Community-wide campaign; Evidenced based intervention; Fruit and vegetable consumption; Health disparities; Physical activity; US-Mexico border