Promotoras Can Facilitate Use of Recreational Community Resources: The Mi Corazón Mi Comunidad Cohort Study.

Introduction: Limited research has documented interventions aimed at promoting use of existing recreational community resources among underserved populations. This study (HEART [Health Education Awareness Research Team] Phase 2) reports findings of an intervention (Mi Corazón Mi Comunidad) where community health workers facilitated use of diet and exercise programming at local recreational facilities among Mexican American border residents. The aim was to evaluate overall attendance rates and to assess which factors predicted higher attendance.

Perceptions of Community Health Workers (CHWs/PS) in the U.S.-Mexico border HEART CVD study.

Although prior research has shown that Community Health Workers/Promotores de Salud (CHW/PS) can facilitate access to care, little is known about how CHW/PS are perceived in their community. The current study reports the findings of a randomized telephone survey conducted in a high-risk urban community environment along the U.S.

Associations of insulin resistance with cardiovascular risk factors and inflammatory cytokines in normal-weight Hispanic women.

Objective: To investigate the associations of markers of insulin resistance with cardiovascular disease risk factors and inflammation in young, normal-weight, Hispanic women.

Research Design And Methods: Seventy-one normal-weight (BMI <25 kg/m(2)) Hispanic women (age, 20-39 years) participated in a fasting blood draw for glucose, insulin, lipids, and inflammatory markers; a glucose tolerance test; anthropometric and blood pressure measurements; body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; and measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness via Vo2max and daily physical activity by accelerometer. RESULTS Six percent of participants had impaired fasting glucose, 14% had impaired glucose tolerance, and 48% had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor.