Overview
The goal of this study is to address a key health inequity - lack of community access to evidence-based programs to prevent chronic health conditions (e.g., Type 2 Diabetes) - by tailoring and delivering a family-based lifestyle and stress management intervention, Health Without Barriers/Salud Sin Barreras, for adolescents and their families living in rural Southwest Colorado. The intervention is a lifestyle program that addresses healthy lifestyle habits within the family context to support adolescent mental health (mindfulness intervention) and healthy weight (physical activity, nutrition, and parent education).
Description
Health Without Barriers/Salud Sin Barreras is a 12-session community-delivered, family-based lifestyle intervention for health promotion and reduction of risk for chronic diseases like T2D. The program is delivered over 6 weeks and includes family education/parent training, adolescent physical activity, mindfulness-based stress reduction training for adolescents, family meals, and family cooking/meal preparation. The goal is to deliver the program to up to 175 participants and their families over the course of 5 years (2022-2027). The program content and delivery/implementation processes already have been adapted based on information obtained through adolescent and parent interviews and community member voices though a 9-month community research collaboration. The investigators will gather new, additional information from program participants and stakeholders to continue to tailor the curriculum content and program processes. The investigators will do this iteratively using feedback collected during and in the wake of each cohort until thematic saturation is achieved (anticipated to be ~3 cohorts) and until the community-research partnership group has obtained program optimization for families in Southwest Colorado. Further, the investigators will conduct program evaluations of the adapted Health Without Barriers/Salud Sin Barreras program on changes in a range of indicators of mental/physical health and health behaviors in adolescents.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
Families must have at least 1 teen that is between the ages of 11-19 years old and reside
in La Plata, Montezuma, or Archuleta Counties.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Participants will not take part in the program and/or research activities if they have
a medical and/or psychological/behavioral condition that, in the opinion of the
Colorado State University/Extension program team, could interfere with safety for
themselves or others or interfere with the capability of the participant or other
participants to potentially benefit from the program (e.g., severe
emotional-behavioral disturbance, inability to follow facilitator directions) .
- Parents/guardians will not take part in the program and/or research activities if they
have a medical and/or psychological/behavioral condition that, in the opinion of the
Colorado State University/Extension program team, could interfere with safety for
themselves or others or interfere with the capability of their family or other
participating families to potentially benefit from the program (e.g., using drugs or
alcohol or under the use of drugs/alcohol during program sessions, aggressive or
inappropriate behavior toward other participants).