356 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represent major public health concerns in the aging Hispanic community. Tirzepatide, a novel dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist recently approved for the treatment of T2DM and obesity has been shown to be effective at reducing weight, improving markers of T2DM control, and improving cardiovascular health. Utilization of tirzepatide in the Hispanic community has been on the rise since FDA approval was issued, however the effects of tirzepatide use on functional outcomes in older Hispanic adults with obesity are not well established. Recent studies show that weight loss caused by tirzepatide may be driven by substantial loss of lean muscle mass, which may contribute to weakness and frailty, particularly among older adults. The proposed pilot study aims to evaluate how treatment with tirzepatide for 6 months affects muscle mass and function among older Hispanic adults, and if changes in muscle mass are linked to changes in functional status over the same time period.
Purpose of the Study: The goal of this clinical trial is to find out if a technique called the "mutual gaze procedure" used in a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive adaptation of Pathways Early Intervention (CLR-Pathways) is the key to improving social communication, language, and everyday skills in young (18-42 months) Hispanic autistic children experiencing low income. What Will Happen: Researchers will compare two versions of CLR-Pathways. * Version 1: Includes mutual gaze strategies. * Version 2: Does not include mutual gaze strategies. What to Expect: Participants will: * Attend 16 sessions (or 18 weeks if there are cancellations) of Pathways Intervention, each lasting 1.5 hours. * Come to the clinic for a developmental check-up three times: before starting Pathways, right after completing Pathways, and three months after finishing Pathways.
The objective is to conduct an early-stage clinical trial in order to provide data required to support a future clinical trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of a culturally acceptable treatment program to increase exercise and regular physical activity among Hispanics with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Hispanic patients with knee OA paired with a chosen family member/close friend will be recruited for study participation. A pilot randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Study pairs will be randomized to receive either: 1) an intervention that will be administered by live video consultations and will include educational sessions about OA, a muscle strengthening program, and a program that will aim to promote regular physical activity involving study pairs; or 2) a control treatment that only includes live video educational sessions about OA. Study participants will fill out a survey before the start of the study and 3 months after.
This study seeks to enhance long-term positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence among Spanish-speaking Hispanics, a group with known PAP outcomes disparities. This study will assess the feasibility of a linguistically and culturally adapted tele-management intervention (Automated Management, AM) for Spanish-speaking Hispanic adults with OSA.
This project will develop and pilot test social support intervention for an underserved population, Hispanics in Arizona, who have high rates of kidney and liver cancer to improve health equity. The investigators will incorporate caregivers (family members) and other individuals in a patient's social network in survivorship, who are especially critical to quality cancer care. Caregivers provide more than half the care to cancer survivors and are often instrumental in facilitating the survivor to receive the care needed and adhere to guidelines. Through this project, the investigators will be able to leverage the resources of the Cancer Heath Equity Research Center (e.g., community outreach) to develop an intervention that has the potential for scalability and reach and recruit a sufficient sample across the target catchment area (including rural participants who may live near the US-Mexico border).
Studies suggest that for youth in poverty, addressing stressors like parental mental health concerns may improve children's mental health outcomes. Rates of depression and suicidality are growing among teens nationwide and rates of depression are disproportionately high for Hispanic youth. Hispanic families are disproportionately impacted by poverty and are disproportionately exposed to adverse childhood experiences, yet Hispanic patients are less likely than non-Hispanic patient to have access to specialty mental healthcare. Integrating mental health care into primary care is one avenue towards making specialized mental healthcare more accessible to the Hispanic community. There have been few studies focused on addressing parental mental health within pediatric primary care, and even fewer focused specifically on supporting Hispanic families within primary care. The current study would seek to formally assess whether a family-centered treatment approach improves depression outcomes for both Hispanic teens and parents identified in primary care. The current study would implement depression screening for teens and global mental health screening for parents in MetroHealth's Pediatric Hispanic Clinic. Teens identified with depression would receive integrated consultation with a psychology provider as usual. In this study, parents who agree to participate would also be screened for depression, anxiety, trauma and parenting stress. Parents who screen positive would then be randomized to receive either a list of referrals for bilingual mental health services in the community (treatment as usual), or into the family-centered treatment arm. In the family-centered treatment arm, parents would be connected directly to bilingual adult mental health services with a community partner, Catholic Charities, who would provide collateral therapy to parents via telehealth. Families will then receive follow-up calls from a bilingual MetroHealth provider 3- and 6-months later to re-administer the same parent outcome measures. Investigators hypothesize that adolescent depression symptoms will improve to a greater degree in the family-centered treatment condition as compared to treatment as usual, and that measures of parental mental health and parenting stress will show significantly greater improvement in the family-centered treatment condition as compared to treatment as usual.
Hispanic men and children experience health disparities for overweight and obesity-related medical conditions, and therefore family level obesity prevention programs for Hispanic populations are needed. 'Healthy Dads Healthy Kids' is the first program to primarily target fathers for obesity prevention for themselves and their children, with significant and clinically relevant treatment effects. This is an efficacy trial to assess a culturally adapted 'Healthy Dads Healthy Kids' for Hispanic families.
Most persons living with dementia (PlwD) have multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Managing MCC typically involves adhering to clinical practice guidelines for single diseases. This approach often results in burdensome care that usually does not reflect what matters most to patients. To address the challenges of caring for patients with MCC, Patient Priorities Care (PPC) was developed - a process that aligns treatment recommendations with patient priorities rather than single-disease guidelines, to improve care. Successful completion of this pragmatic pilot project will help determine how to best embedded PPC in a Healthcare system that serves a large Hispanic population. The investigators will determine if the benefits previously reported with the use of PPC hold in Hispanics with dementia.
This study is a type-1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation RCT comparing a novel family-inclusive childhood obesity treatment program, the "Healthy Living Program" (HeLP), to a protocol that enhances usual primary care to deliver Recommended Treatment of Obesity in Primary Care (RTOP). Children with obesity and their families will be referred to the study by primary care providers and randomized to HeLP or RTOP. The clinical setting is a practice-based research network serving majority Hispanic and Medicaid-insured populations. The intensive phase and booster sessions of HeLP will take place at recreation centers located near the clinics and will be led by health educators employed by the clinics. Visits with primary care providers (PCPs) for HeLP maintenance or RTOP will occur at the clinics.
A key tenet of this project is that of reaching translational human diagnosis and biomarker end points. To lay a foundation and make progress towards these translational goals, investigators will address the following specific aim: To determine if BMI/ obesity differentially influence expression and epigenetic signatures in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) from Hispanic compared to NHW women.
The proposed Conexion resource combines best publicly available evidence-based information and local community resources in one place. The information is curated and contextualized to meet local needs of consumers and providers. Content is tailored culturally and geographically to fit the community. This approach is consistent with evidence showing that individuals' interactions with health information and technology are "community embedded".
The present study proposes to test the effectiveness of the Building a Healthy Temple: Diabetes Self-Management Support Program (BHT DSMS), a rendition of the Stanford DSMP in a spiritual context for the Hispanic faith community members. Using a holistic approach through integrating spiritual and physical health, BHT translates the Stanford DSMP in a way that may result in lasting behavior changes and improved diabetes outcomes for Hispanics with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Hispanics are the largest ethnic group in the US as well as the fastest growing. Yet, despite being such a large population group, Hispanics are under-studied and under-represented in most studies of health, psychological well-being, and mind-body interventions. For many Hispanic immigrants, life in the U.S. carries multiple socio-economic stressors, which places them at higher risk for depression and other poor health-related quality of life outcomes. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a group-based training shown to reduce stress and improve overall well-being. There is a quality gap about adaptation and implementation of MBSR programs in community settings and among Hispanic immigrants. This K23 seeks to adapt and test the implementation of an MBSR intervention among under-resourced Hispanic immigrants in St. Louis guided by methods and frameworks from the field of dissemination and implementation (D\&I) science as applied to community settings. Implementation research of mindfulness-based interventions among Hispanic immigrant populations is justifiable under several conditions, including ineffective clinical engagement with this population, risk or resilience factors that are unique to the Hispanic community, and lack of cultural relevance of many evidence-based MBIs.
Currently, Hispanic Spanish-speaking individuals are not receiving culturally appropriate diabetes care. Lack of knowledge impacts several areas of type 2 diabetes (T2D) management, including healthy eating and being physically active in Hispanic Spanish-speaking individuals. Use of diabetes technology is on the rise, however, many technologies do not provide Spanish-language options. A flash glucose monitoring (FGM) system is now available in both English and Spanish. Research suggests that use of FGM results in improved clinical outcomes. Furthermore, increased number of FGM scans are associated with improved clinical outcomes such as decreased A1C and improvements in BG time in range. Our preliminary work indicates that Hispanics (1) are willing to use diabetes technology, such as FGM, if it supports Spanish language and (2) in English-speaking populations, but not specific to the Hispanic Spanish-speaking population, FGM supports biobehavioral change. Further, our work, and the work of others, indicate Hispanic individuals desire for peer interactions to relate and understand the variables that impact T2D. Interaction with online peer support communities is associated with increased knowledge, receipt of emotional support, and improved glycemic levels. These results suggest that education and support to increase use and understanding of FGM will lead to improved clinical and behavioral outcomes.
This investigator-initiated post-marketing study will evaluate the role of Hispanic ethnicity on drug dosing of Envarsus in first-time stable renal transplant recipients. Tacrolimus trough drug levels will be studied as a primary endpoint at 24 hours after drug dosing and at steady state (e.g., trough level at 3 months post conversion) and secondary compliance assessments will be done by pill counts at clinic visits. Secondary outcomes will be the safety of once a day dosing as well as assessment of graft rejection and graft failure. In addition, concentration/dose ratios will be analyzed. The results of this study will provide important information about dosing of once a day tacrolimus (Envarsus) in Hispanic kidney transplant patients, which represents the largest growing group of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease
This study will compare Dulce Digital (i.e., the investigators' proven-effective combination of "one-size-fits-all" educational text messages and nurse monitoring of patient-transmitted blood glucose values) and Dulce Digital-Me (DD-Me), an adaptive/dynamic mHealth (mobile health) intervention that is tailored to individuals' needs and behavioral progress, in improving diabetes clinical control, adherence, and patient-provider communication in Hispanics - an at-risk, understudied population that experiences disparities in diabetes prevalence and outcomes. These striking disparities in the growing and aging US Hispanic population have taxed the US healthcare system, while significantly reducing quantity and quality of life for millions of individuals. By offering an innovative, scalable, and sustainable approach that seamlessly integrates several mHealth technologies into existing primary care team processes to improve the health of Hispanics (and eventually, other at-risk, underserved groups), DD-Me has strong potential to significantly impact public health.
Construction workers have the highest rate of smoking among all occupations, and are frequently exposed to a wide range of workplace hazards (e.g. toxins), which interact with smoking to increase their health risks. Minority construction workers, in particular, have higher smoking and lower cessation rates compared to other groups, and they generally show lower access and participation in cessation and health promotion services. The number of Hispanic workers employed in the construction industry in the US has tripled in the past decade to 2.6 million (23% of all construction workers). This study will develop, administer, and evaluate a novel smoking cessation program in a hard-to-reach and underserved population of Hispanic male construction workers using using pilot cluster randomized clinical trial (RCT) to test the developed intervention for feasibility and potential efficacy.
Health -E-You is an interactive, individually tailored computer application (App) that was developed to educate adolescent girls about contraceptive methods and assist them in selecting a contraceptive method that meets their individual needs. The goal is to reduce disparities in unintended pregnancy rates among Hispanic adolescent females. The App was designed in close collaboration with clinicians and Hispanic adolescents. Health-E You was designed to be used in conjunction with a clinical encounter to prime both the patient and provider prior to the face-to-face visit to facilitate the discussion and provision of appropriate contraception. It is founded on key principles of Social Cognitive Theory. Through an interactive approach, Health-E-You assesses the users' sexual health risks, knowledge and contraceptive use history and preferences to facilitate a sense of agency and self-efficacy around selecting an effective contraceptive method. First, the user selects their preferred language (English or Spanish) and according to the selected language, the App provides a brief description of the module and consents the user to participate. It then assesses sexual health knowledge using an interactive truth vs. myth game. Correct answers to the truth vs. myth statements are then presented to the user as short, easy-to-read explanations. Next, the App assesses the user's individual contraceptive needs and preferences. The user is also screened for possible medical contraindications to contraceptive methods. Based on the user's input, the App provides individually tailored messaging and recommendations for contraceptive methods according to the user's own timeline for childbearing and their lifestyle preferences, past experiences and needs. The recommendations are presented on a visual continuum of effective contraceptive options based on desired duration of action and efficacy. Users then have the option to learn more about the recommended method(s) and they also have the option to learn more about any of the contraceptive options. Evidence-based contraceptive information is presented in a user-friendly format that includes YouTube style videos. Users can select to view brief video vignettes that feature clinicians who provide additional information about the method of interest and/or videos of diverse young women who discuss their experiences with each of the contraceptive methods. At the end of the App, adolescents are asked to select the method (s) they are most interested in using. They are also encouraged to use condoms to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and provided information about emergency contraception. Users can review a summary of a key information gathered from the App and are offered the opportunity to share that information with their clinician so that the clinician can better support the adolescent in selecting and using an effective and appropriate contraceptive method. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Health-E You on its ability to address disparities in contraceptive knowledge, access and utilization among Hispanic adolescents. The long term goal is to reduce the incidence of unprotected sexual intercourse (and associated unintended pregnancies and STIs) over time. A total of 14 School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) affiliated with the Los Angeles Unified School District, will be randomized, with equal chance, to use the Health-E You App or to provide usual care (without the App). A total of 1400 Hispanic adolescents will be selected to participate in the study (700 at intervention clinics and 700 at the control clinics). The investigators hypothesize that adolescents who use the Health-E You App will have greater sexual health knowledge and will be more likely to use effective contraceptive than adolescent who do not use the App. The investigators will also evaluate the effectiveness of the App on its ability to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the health visit. Participants will be asked to complete follow-up surveys immediately following the clinical encounter and at three and six months after the clinical encounter. The ultimate goal of this study is address health disparities in the use of effective contraceptives and ultimately reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancies and STIs among at-risk Hispanic adolescent girls.
The H4K Trial is a randomized controlled trial to improve children's body composition by testing a comprehensive, culturally and linguistically relevant, family-oriented intervention for overweight and obese Hispanic children (ages 6-11) in three pediatric clinics in San Antonio, Texas. The H4K trial will test the efficacy of a 6-month pediatric obesity management intervention (physician counseling plus telephone counseling, newsletters and text messages) compared to standard care (physician counseling only) on three outcomes: 1) body composition (i.e., waist circumference, weight and z-BMI); 2) insulin, glucose and cholesterol levels; and 3) behavior change in physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior and consumption of sugary beverages and fruits and vegetables. The investigators will recruit 230 overweight and obese children-and a parent or guardian for each-and randomize them to the H4K intervention (n = 115 child/parent dyads) or standard care (n = 115 child/parent dyads). The investigators hypothesize that intervention children will significantly improve their body composition, increased their PA levels and diet quality (more fruits and vegetables and less sugary beverages), and decrease their sedentary activity, compared to children in standard care. If successful, this study will generate new scientific knowledge about effective Hispanic family-based approaches for obesity prevention with high potential for replication in underserved areas across the nation.
The primary research question is which of the 2 best known dementia caregiver interventions, the New York University Caregiver intervention (NYUCI) and Resources for Enhancing Caregivers Health Offering Useful Treatments (REACH OUT), is more effective in alleviating depressive symptoms and caregiver burden among Hispanic caregivers in New York City. The investigators hypothesize that the NYUCI will be more effective than REACH OUT in reducing caregiver depressive symptoms and burden among Hispanics because of its focus on family-centered counseling, which is posited to be more important among Hispanic caregivers because of a cultural emphasis among Hispanics on family interactions in interventions. In order to answer the primary question, the investigators will conduct a pragmatic randomized trial comparing the NYUCI vs. REACH OUT in 200 Hispanic caregivers of persons with dementia in the community of Northern Manhattan. The total time of the intervention will be 6 months. Our research question is which intervention, NYUCI or REACH OUT, is better in Hispanic relative (any relative) caregivers of persons with dementia. Our objective is to obtain effectiveness information that will help caregivers and health providers to make decisions about which intervention to choose. Our primary aim is to compare the effectiveness of the implementation of the NYUCI and REACH OUT in reducing depressive symptoms and burden. Our exploratory aims are to examine and compare the predictors of effectiveness of the NYUCI and REACH OUT and to examine additional outcomes such as caregiver stress and physical health, and outcomes related to the person with dementia. METHODS. We will conduct a pragmatic randomized trial of 200 relative caregivers of persons with dementia. Participants will be randomized to the NYUCI or REACH OUT. The total duration of the intervention will be 6 months, with assessments at baseline and follow-up. All interventions and questionnaires will be conducted in both English and Spanish. The study duration will be 3 years. The primary outcomes will be changes in caregiver depressive symptoms, measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and in caregiver burden using the Zarit caregiver burden interview.
Hispanic Americans are underrepresented in cancer clinical trials. The purpose of this study is to develop and test programs designed to reduce barriers and increase facilitators associated with cancer clinical trials participation for Hispanic Americans.
The Hispanic Community Health Study / Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a multi-center epidemiologic study in Hispanic/Latino populations to determine the role of acculturation in the prevalence and development of disease, and to identify risk factors playing a protective or harmful role in Hispanics/Latinos.
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding about living kidney donation (LKD) among Hispanic/Latino patients and public by increasing knowledge and positive attitudes about LKD. Improving Hispanics' understanding about LKD will ensure that Hispanic patients and public are fully informed of the treatment options for End Stage Kidney Disease.
Hispanics are affected by arthritis at a slightly lower age-adjusted rate compared to non-Hispanic whites and African Americans. However, compared to other groups, Hispanics have a higher prevalence of arthritis-attributed activity limitations (primarily related to OA), are less likely to receive hip replacement independent of health care access, and are less likely to receive knee replacement. The study is conducted to develop and test a telephone delivered intervention for the management of OA in Hispanic adults. This study is conducted as a minority supplement to the Patient and Provider Interventions for Managing Osteoarthritis in Primary Care (PRIMO) NCT01435109 and Pro00022836.
Background and Rationale Research studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) who lose weight have better glucose control and less risk for heart disease. It has been difficult to achieve these results in a non-research setting. Meal replacements (MR) are pre-packaged meals with appropriate calories and nutrients that enhance adherence to a weight loss program by reducing decision-making and facilitating target caloric intake. The University of Southern California (USC) arm of the NIH funded Look AHEAD study at Roybal Clinic has demonstrated acceptability and success of MRs in conjunction with a structured lifestyle modification program in achieving weight loss in underserved Hispanic T2DM patients. Objectives Our short-term objective is to determine the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a 3-month full MR program in conjunction with a 1 year standardized lifestyle modification program in a clinic setting. Our longer-term goal is to acquire data for sample size and power estimates for a larger NIH- or other funded prospective, randomized trial. Study Methodology A 1-year, prospective trial study of 30 obese subjects with T2DM treated with insulin randomized to 2 groups: standard care (SC) or Meal Replacement group (MR). The SC will receive usual care at Roybal Diabetes Management Clinic (DMC). The MR will receive MRs and a lifestyle course in addition to the usual clinical care at the Roybal DMC. Phase 1 consists of 3-months 1200 -1400cal diet using full MR. Phase 2 consists of a 3-month transition to the same caloric intake using regular meals and 1 MR/day . Phase 3 consists of a 6-month weight loss maintenance period with 1 MR/day. This will be about 1400-1600 calories/day for women and 1800 to 2000 calories/day for men. Individual and group educational, support and counseling visits will be components of all 3 phases of the study. Outcomes Efficacy of the program will be determined by weight, waist measurement and waist to hip ratio, blood pressure, HbA1c, lipids, and medication use at baseline and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. These are all measurements that are done routinely in these patients. Safety will be determined by monitoring of adverse events. Data Analysis We will compare the outcomes between the SC and MR at 0,3,6,9 and 12 months to determine if there is evidence that the intervention improves outcomes and is safe.
The proposed study seeks to investigate the impact of a culturally targeted print educational intervention on rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening via colonoscopy among Hispanics. If, as expected, the addition of culturally targeted materials to best clinical practices as compared to a) best clinical practices plus standard materials or b) best clinical practices alone leads to higher rates of CRC screening via colonoscopy then the culturally targeted print educational materials can be easily disseminated among this rapidly growing minority group who have low rates of CRC screening and whose disease is detected at later, less curable stages.
The goal of this research study is to test an exercise program that is designed for Hispanic breast cancer survivors. Researchers want to learn the most effective strategies for promoting exercise.
The main goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the efficacy of Familias Unidas (United Families), a family-based, ecodevelopmental intervention found to be previously efficacious in preventing and reducing behavior problems, illicit drug use, and unsafe sexual behavior in non-delinquent Hispanic adolescents (Pantin et al., 2003; Prado, Pantin, Briones et al., 2007). The study hypotheses are as follows: Hypothesis 1. Familias Unidas will be more efficacious than Treatment as Usual in preventing drug use among Hispanic first offending adolescents or those who are at risk for committing a first time offense over time. Hypothesis 1a. The effect of Familias Unidas on drug use will be partially mediated by improvements in family functioning. Hypothesis 2. Familias Unidas will be more efficacious than Treatment as Usual in preventing unsafe sexual behavior among Hispanic first offending adolescents or those who are at risk for committing a first time offense over time. Hypothesis 2a. The effect of Familias Unidas on unsafe sexual behavior will be partially mediated by improvements in family functioning. Hypothesis 3. Familias Unidas will be more efficacious than Treatment as Usual in preventing subsequent criminal offenses among Hispanic first offending adolescents or in preventing a first time offense for those at risk for committing a first time offense over time. Hypothesis 3a. The effect of Familias Unidas on subsequent criminal offenses will be mediated by family functioning.
Obesity has been linked to the development of multiple cancers, and to poorer prognoses and higher mortality rates for certain pediatric and adult cancers. Preventing obesity is therefore a major strategy to prevent new cases of cancer and to decrease cancer related morbidity and mortality. In the US, childhood obesity is on the rise. Since childhood obesity strongly tracks into adulthood this epidemic among children greatly increases the risk of obesity and presumably cancer in adulthood. As a result, preventing childhood obesity has been selected as a major public health goal to reduce the risk and sequelae of obesity and cancer in the US. Moreover, television (TV) viewing has been identified as a major risk factor for childhood obesity and US children spent more time watching TV than any other activity except sleep. TV viewing contributes to excess weight gain by decreasing physical activity and increasing caloric intake. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued national guidelines for parents to limit their children's total entertainment media time to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day for children greater than 2 years of age. Low-income and minority children were at greater risk for exceeding this recommendation. Few published interventions have been successful in decreasing TV viewing in children and only one was successful among preschool children. This intervention, "Fit 5 Kids" (i.e. fit by age 5 years), was a preschool curriculum designed to decrease TV viewing via age-appropriate lessons taught to the children by research staff. The curriculum also included a take-home component consisting of a newsletter with ideas for parent (for this grant, defined as the adult most responsible for the child's care, usually the mother) and child activities that complemented the school lesson plans. Although most behavioral interventions for preschoolers target parents rather than children, this curriculum was one of the few successful interventions targeted directly at children. However, Fit 5 Kids was not designed for or evaluated among Hispanic preschool children, the subpopulation of preschool children most severely affected by obesity. Moreover, no published intervention has successfully reduced both TV viewing and excess weight gain in any preschool population. In order to fill this gap, the investigators propose to evaluate a culturally adapted Fit 5 Kids TV reduction curriculum among Hispanic preschool children enrolled in the Head Start Program. Fit 5 Kids is the TV reduction component of the Brocodile the Crocodile health promotion program. The overall goal of Fit 5 Kids is to teach the preschoolers to decrease their TV watching and encourage alternative activities such as family meals and active playtime. The primary goal of this research plan will be to conduct a pilot group randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the adapted curriculum to reduce TV viewing and excess weight gain in low income, Hispanic preschool children To achieve the project goals, the investigators Specific Aim includes: 1. To successfully recruit forty-eight 3-5 year old Hispanic children from 4 Head Start centers each year for 3 years and conduct a group randomized controlled study of the adapted Fit 5 Kids curriculum to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing TV viewing and excess weight gain in Hispanic preschool children. The Primary Hypothesis to be tested includes: H1. The culturally adapted Fit 5 Kids curriculum will reduce TV viewing and excess weight gain among Hispanic preschool children.
The focus of this study will be to test the Familias Unidas Intervention program among Hispanic 8th graders in the Miami-Dade County Public School System. This study will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in both the scientific community and the Hispanic population in Miami-Dade County. It will shed light on whether and to what extent Familias Unidas is effective in preventing drug use and unsafe sexual behavior in Hispanic adolescents. To the scientific community, the investigators will disseminate our findings via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings. The design for the proposed study is a randomized controlled trial. This design is considered the "gold standard" design when evaluating the efficacy of two (or more) treatment conditions. Participants for this study will be 744 Hispanic 8th grade adolescents and their parents recruited from 24 randomly selected middle schools in Miami Dade County that meet the school inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 12 schools (for a total of 372 Hispanic adolescents and their parents) will be randomized to Familias Unidas and a total of 12 schools (for a total of 372 Hispanic adolescents and their parents) will be randomized to the Community Practice.