Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

What WE DO

Healthy Weight Program

Healthy Weight Program

Latino Health Access’s Healthy Weight Program promotes lifestyle changes among children and young adults between the ages of 6 and 18, especially those considered “overweight” and their families. Since 2006, this program has advocated for familial and community involvement in the prevention of chronic diseases related to obesity county-wide. Promotores build lasting relationships with participants by understanding that the nutritional habits that help to determine health factors within each family member are influenced by family, Social Economic Status (SES), and culture, among other factors.

The ‘Healthy Weight” program is composed of 6 weekly sessions taught in English and Spanish focused on promoting: effective, fun, and meaningful learning within the entire family. These 2-hour encounters provide a space to review nutrition-related topics to increase awareness and provide information, a safe space to conduct the physical activity, and seek to give voice to the experience and knowledge of the participating families by allowing them to contribute to the knowledge learned. Our program promotes the combination of different food groups, reduces the consumption of foods high in fats and carbohydrates, explores the benefits of fruits and vegetables, and uses the right portions to maintain a healthy weight while learning the importance of staying physically active. Emotionally, we understand that any change of habits is progressive and strengthens the commitment each individual and family wishes for their wellbeing. Our Promotores help participants discover and access the resources necessary to achieve and maintain a healthy weight (close family relationships and support groups among children, youth, and parents to help them identify and overcome possible barriers).

Overall, our Promtores work alongside the entire family to create lasting changes in lifestyle in a participatory, fun, and practical manner while paying close attention to the relationship between emotions, family, and society with chronic diseases related to being overweight in a comprehensive and balanced manner.

Module 1

  • Build a connection with children and youth

  • Introduce MyPlate and the general benefits of each nutrient group.

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Module 2

  • Explore the participants' own concept of meal portions; introduce the idea of an appropriate meal portion

  • Introduce carbohydrates I: Vegetables and fruits.

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Module 3

  • Review any issues in the participants' an environment that could affect their ability to manage a healthier lifestyle. Share experiences in community civic activities

  • Carbohydrates II: Grains and starches

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Module 4

  • The child/youth participants shall review the quantity and size of servings, caloric intake and carbohydrate knowledge

  • Introduction to Fats and Oils

  • How to read the Nutrition label

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Module 5

  • Review the difference between and how to identify and explain total fat, cholesterol, and trans-fats; review sizes and portions

  • Include any issues in the participants' an environment that could affect their ability to manage a healthier lifestyle, share experiences about changes created within the family lifestyle, and any civic activities accomplished.

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Module 6

  • Create a conversational space for each group to review the goals and achievements of the week, strategic and share on reaching the participants goals

  • Participants will work with nutrition facts of fast food restaurants, so the information will be relevant. Explore the role that calcium and sodium have in health and diet. Review the benefits of proteins and dairy and the role they play in the participants’ growth. Review healthy sizes and portions.

  • Moderate physical activity for participants and their families

Guiding Principles

We understand that there are several ways of looking at education and support to participants. We want to include the wisdom of children, youth, and adults in

learning healthy behaviors. Some of the principles that reflect how we walk with our participants through the learning process are:

  • We want to get to know our participants personally, regardless of their weight problem: their interests, skills, special skills, and characteristics? What school do they attend? Who are their friends? We hold on to the idea that everyone has many success stories that have helped them achieve past goals and can help achieve a healthy weight.; “The problem is the problem, and the person is never the problem.”

  • We are clear that the overweight problem participants face also contains cultural and social elements such as injustice, lack of opportunities, unfavorable family situations,

    influence from the media, poverty, and other factors.

  • We believe in the ability of all participants, even the youngest, to provide solutions to the “overweight” problem. We believe that part of our work is to build bridges between the intuition and ideas of participants and the intellectual resources, materials, and social resources that can activate other solutions.

  • We believe that the participants are agents of their own lives. Children and youth are at a time in their development where they go from being dependent on their parent/guardian to independent adults. We want to respect the commitment and capacity and promote each person's autonomy according to age and physical and mental condition.

  • By working to decrease the stress within the family, participants can naturally improve their health decisions, and the possibility of retaining information increases. We include games and relaxation practices to support this fun and healthy growth.

  • We encourage participants to share their knowledge, experience, teaching resources, methodologies, processes, and attitudes with the group, helping us further improve our teaching methods.