Fall risk and prevention needs assessment in an older adult Latino population: a model community global health partnership.

Background: The impact of falls in older adults presents a significant public health burden. Fall risk is not well-described in Latino populations nor have fall prevention programs considered the needs of this population.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to develop a needs assessment of falls in older adult Latinos at a community center (CC), determine fall prevention barriers and strengths in this population, determine the level of interest in various fall prevention methods, and provide medical students an opportunity for participation in a culturally diverse community project.

Salud de la mujer: using fotonovelas to increase health literacy among Latinas.

Background: There is an identified need for health literacy strategies to be culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate.

Objectives: The goal of our community-based participatory research (CBPR) project related to health and nutrition is to demonstrate that active community involvement in the creation of health education fotonovelas that are relevant to culture, ethnicity, gender, social class, and language can increase the health literacy of women in a disadvantaged community.

Methods: We recruited 12 women to take part in our pilot fotonovela intervention about healthy eating and nutrition.