A Community Cultural Wealth Model to Train Promotoras as Data Collectors.

The literature has documented the use of community health workers as an effective strategy to work with underserved communities. However, there is scant research on the strategies community health workers use when working in research studies. This qualitative study examines how promotoras (community health workers) implement their community cultural wealth to participate as data collectors in the control site of the Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) study. Our findings indicate that promotoras implement their cultural values, knowledge, and practices to recruit study participants and facilitate the data collection process. This study has implications for the recruitment and development of culturally and relevant linguistic training targeting promotoras in Mexican-origin communities.

Attitudes and Social Norms Are Related to Attendance at Childhood Obesity Prevention Classes in a Rural Mexican-Heritage Community.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors related to attendance of Mexican-heritage parents at community-based nutrition classes to prevent childhood obesity. METHODS: Starting in 2011, interviewers collected baseline data from Niños Sanos Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Families) participants in rural California. Educators maintained attendance logs from 2012 to 2014. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, interviewers administered an exit survey in 2015 to collect data on attitudes, subjective norms, health motivations, and perceived control related to attendance. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis examined the correlates of attendance (n = 194, intervention group only). RESULTS: Controlling for mother's age, marital status, acculturation, and employment, attitudes and subjective norms were significantly related to attendance (odds ratio = 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-1.37; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In these Mexican-heritage participants, attitudes and subjective norms were significant correlates of attendance. The Theory of Planned Behavior may shed light on attendance of high-risk groups but further testing of instruments is needed.