Effects of a culturally tailored intervention on changes in body mass index and health-related quality of life of Latino children and their parents.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a multicomponent, family-based, culturally tailored intervention for overweight Latino children and their parents.

Design: One group pretest/posttest with clinic comparison group.

Setting: Community health center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Subjects: 54 Spanish-speaking, Latino families with children 8 to 11 years of age at enrollment and a body mass index (BMI) > 85th percentile. Thirty-one completed the 12-month follow-up.

Main Outcome: Measures. BMI, fitness measures, self-reported eating patterns, sedentary behaviors, and quality of life scales.

Intervention: Index child and one (index) parent participated in interactive sessions and physical activity reinforced by family goal-setting, staff support, and supplemental activities.

Results: Small but statistically significant changes in child BMI z score (Δ = .13 SD, p < .001) and parent fitness (Δ = .74, p < .04) were documented by paired t-test. Quality of life increased significantly for children (combined Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory score Δ = 10.7, p < .001) and parents (Short Form Health Survey12 mental composite score Δ = 8, p < .022; Wilcoxon rank sum test). BMI z score for clinic comparison children (n = 31) increased significantly during the same time period (Δ = .23 SD, paired t = 4.32, p < .0002).

Conclusions: A culturally tailored program for Latino families reduced BMI for enrolled children and significantly enhanced quality of life for children and parents. Intervention approaches that integrate cultural and social circumstances and emphasize goal setting and life style changes may be fruitful for this population of at-risk children.