Previous Projects
Our goal is to make our projects culturally appropriate and follow the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), In CBPR community organizations, such as churches, neighborhood organizations, community residents, and other social agencies help by playing a direct role in the design and implementation the project.
Sisters Striving Towards Balanced Health:
A Cultural Approach to Weight Loss in African and Mexican-American Women (2003)
This one-year culturally oriented group behavioral model research study examined weight loss for African American and Mexican American women in Washtenaw County – and emphasized sustained weight loss. We assumed that by using a culturally indigenous model of care, changes in participants' lifestyle would occur, resulting in a daily reduction of high-caloric food intake, an increase in physical activity, and feelings of personal esteem and self-empowerment.
Interventions
We designed the following interventions to reflect the cultural emphases, concerns and behaviors of African American and Mexican American women:
- Educational series about the causes and physiological characteristics of obesity, medical diseases resulting from obesity and various treatments
- Diet/nutritional education and cooking demonstration
- Physical activity instruction and engagement
- Behavioral group treatment sessions
Project Goals
- Increase participants' knowledge of the causes, emotional effects, physical effects and treatment of obesity
- Assist participants in more clearly understanding their reason(s) for weight loss and the degree of motivation for modifying their behavioral patterns
- Assist participants in planning a safe, culturally sensitive and realistic weight loss program
- Develope an individual and culturally sensitive approach to weight loss and management that can be sustained indefinitely
- Support participants' active participation in the program's interventions into their lifestyle
- Enhance participants' feelings of mastery over their lives and behaviors
- Support participant’s effective use of helpful community resources, growth in self-advocacy and effective networking
- Assist participants in achieving greater self-reliance to obtain quality services and care
- Help participants develop and assume an active role in ongoing support groups, coalitions and self-help organizations to promote sustained weight loss efforts.
Healthy Food, Healthy Soul Leader Guide (2002)
The Program for Multicultural Health collaborated with the Michigan Public Health Institute in a research study addressing healthy eating practices among African Americans. The primary goal was healthier eating practices and a reduction in cardiovascular disease among African American populations.
The study recruited 10 African American churches in Washtenaw County to participate in the project. The participants played a vital role in evaluating and pilot testing the Healthy Food, Healthy Soul Leader Guide.
Interventions
- The Program administered a pre-nutrition test to the cooks and wellness leaders to identify dietary practices.
- The Program conducted training to explain the components of the Leader Guide to cooks and wellness leaders and to assist them in conducting a health-related nutritional event within their church.
- Cooks and wellness leaders conducted a nutritional event in their church using the Leader Guide and the Healthy Food, Healthy Soul African American Cookbook. Each church prepared at least one food item from the Healthy Food, Healthy Soul Cookbook for church events such as ministry anniversary, Ministry Taste Feast, Health Fair, Bible study meetings and Nurse's Day.
- Upon completion of their church events, the Program administered a post-nutrition test to a focus group.
Achievements
- Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the content of the Leader Guide, providing valuable feedback concerning readability, sample menus, food safety tips, and more.
- The study provided foods that are low in fat and cholesterol to members of church congregations who would not otherwise have that exposure.
- Participants stated that they would continue to use the Leader Guide in their churches’ health promotion programs.
- Participants noted that it is possible to eat healthfully while still maintaining the good taste of African American cooking.
Juventud Por la Salud/Youth for Health (2002)
The purpose of the Juventud Por La Salud/Youth for Health research study was to reduce the occurrence of controllable risk factors for type 2 diabetes among Latino youth in Washtenaw County.
Interventions
We focused interventions on increasing healthy eating practices, physical activity and better coping mechanisms, while respecting Latino cultural values and lifestyle behaviors.
- We promoted a Latino food pyramid, which incorporates the American Dietetic Association's recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables that are preferred by Latino populations.
- For physical activity, we used soccer - a favorite sport of many Latino children – which also meets the American College of Sports Medicine physical activity guidelines.
- Study advocates and facilitators played a key role in assisting and translating written materials into Spanish and developing networks among the participants.
- Advocates and facilitators assisted parents and children in tangible and emotionally supportive ways, including facilitating transportation and adherence to the research study's protocol through telephone contacts and home visits.
- Advocates and facilitators shared cultural resources such as Latino grocery stores and entertainment among the group.
- Advocates continued to network with participants after the official termination of the research study.
Achievements
- We established a channel to encourage open communication and collaboration within this Latino population to improve their overall health status.
- The children’s knowledge about diabetes increased.
- The children’s good cholesterol ratings and normal body-mass index readings improved.
- The children ate recommended quantities of healthy foods, participated in a normal range of physical exercise and reported greater feelings of satisfaction in their lives.
- A large number of parents took an active role in supporting their children's participation in the activities and expressed increased new knowledge about creating healthy lifestyles for their families.
Umoja Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Research Study, Phases I and II (1998-2001)
“Umoja” (ooh-MOE-jah) means “unity’ and is the underlying principle for the first day of Kwanzaa.
Umoja Phase I
Goal
The overall goal of the research study was to identify factors that promote healthful lifestyle behaviors, and to develop and implement culturally competent interventions aimed toward sustaining strengths and reducing risks.
Intervention
The research study drew upon various levels of individual and community assets in its approach to intervention:
- the prominence of the church
- the resilience of the African American family
- the support found in historically African American neighborhood institutions such as barbershops.
The study also incorporated the tenets of Afrocentricity that celebrate African American culture and increase self-awareness, pride and self-esteem.
We used indigenous professionals in partnership with lay community members to develop and deliver interventions. Community health workers and Umoja Care Partners provided intense intervention.
Umoja Phase II
The overall goals Phase II was to identify factors that promote healthful lifestyle behaviors, and to develop and implement culturally competent interventions aimed at sustaining strengths and reducing cardiovascular risks. In addition, the focus was on:
- continuing the partnership with local churches to assist them in expanding their parishioners' participation in their existing health promotion programs and implementing new programs
- supporting the strengths of current participants in sustaining their success in changing to healthier lifestyle behaviors through continued involvement in a less intensive Umoja intervention model
- reinforcing to participants the importance of recognizing and using their personal strengths to assume individual responsibility and personal commitment to progressively practice health behaviors without major on-going dependency upon the Umoja Project or other community-based health promotion projects
- adding new participants to join those who had participated in Phase I of the Umoja research study.
Interventions
The four interventions were:
- clinical screenings for cholesterol
- blood pressure and body/mass index
- nutrition
- physical activity and stress management.
Each intervention was discussed in an eight-week educational series, with monthly follow-up maintenance sessions. Special reinforcement activities included:
- three cooking class demonstrations
- a tour of a major grocery store to learn how to read food labels and identify heart healthy food items
- monthly follow-up monthly sessions with a physical activity trainer
- a summer physical activity oriented picnic.
Other incentives for participants to try on their own included:
- Heart-healthy grocery coupons from a local major grocery store chain
- discount certificates to a local school specializing in the traditional Chinese physical arts of T'ai Chi and Qigong
- physical activities such as Tai Chi, yoga, Qigong, and National Institute on Aging (NIA) exercises
- stress reduction/relaxation tapes
- two free passes per month to the Washtenaw County Recreation Center.
