Source: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS submitted to
IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF HISPANIC CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH A COMMUNITY-BASED CURRICULUM: "ABRIENDO CAMINOS"
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
EXTENDED
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1005612
Grant No.
2015-68001-23248
Project No.
ILLU-698-642
Proposal No.
2014-08316
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
A2101
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2015
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2019
Grant Year
2018
Project Director
Teran-Garcia, M.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
URBANA,IL 61801
Performing Department
c/o OSPRA
Non Technical Summary
Obesity is significantly higher in specific ethnic groups and, in particular, Hispanics. There is an urgent need to implement culturally-sensitive lifestyle interventions and educational programs to decrease the burden of obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases in Hispanic populations. Accordingly, our overreaching goal is to tailor an existing and successful community-based program, Abriendo Caminos, to leverage effectiveness in promoting healthy nutrition and life-style behaviors among low income, low literacy Hispanic-heritage families. Our multi-function integrated project proposes to (a) adapt Abriendo Caminos for 6-18 year-old children from Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage in five different locations (California, Illinois, Iowa, Puerto Rico, and Texas) and (b) Train existing professionals (in Extension and community agencies) and future professionals (Hispanic university students) to meet the specific needs of this population. Our central hypothesis is that participation in a 6-week community-based program will prevent childhood obesity/maintain healthy weight by significantly increasing: (a) healthy dietary behavior patterns and basic knowledge of nutrition; (b) physical activity levels; and (c) the organization of collective/shared family mealtimes. The implementation of this culturally sensitive, workshop-based curriculum in different regions across the country will help to train the next generation of professionals in Extension and communities to deliver programs that meet the needs of Hispanic families. The integration of Hispanic college students in program implementation via an experiential learning course will further strengthen the program, as well as increase recruitment and retention of Hispanic students, increasing the capacity of Hispanic communities to meet their own needs in the future.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
50%
Developmental
50%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7036020101060%
8026020302040%
Knowledge Area
703 - Nutrition Education and Behavior; 802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
This project seeks to adapt an existing and effective community-based healthy lifestyle promoting program for use among low-income Hispanic families and to train Hispanic students in real-world problem solving, team building, and communication skills.Aim 1: Adapt the Abriendo Caminos curricula (culturally/regionally) across the country amongHispanic groups with different cultural histories and social realities. Tasks include:a. Conduct structured interviews and focus groups with community members, andb. Identify barriers, facilitators (promotive factors), and specific motivators to improve implementation and efficacy of community obesity prevention programs among Hispanics.Aim 2: Implement and evaluate the newly adapted Abriendo Caminos curricula. Specifically, thegoal is to use the curricula to:a. Prevent development of overweight/obesity or maintain healthy weight in 6 to 18 year-oldchildren from Hispanic-heritage families, andb. Evaluate the impact of our evidence-based nutrition and behavioral modification curriculumin weight maintenance and obesity prevention in Hispanic children and their families.Aim 3: Train professionals and future professionals to work and meet the specific needs ofunderserved population groups. The tasks associated to accomplish the proposed aim include:a. Deliver a new educational curricula that is entwined with implementation of the communityprograming, in this case: Abriendo Caminos and provides new experiential learningopportunities to disadvantaged (minority) students, andb. Increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities in Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Project Methods
To accomplish aim 1 (Program adaptation) we will conduct structured interviews and focus groups with community members, and identify elements that could improve implementation and efficacy of community obesity prevention program among Hispanics. This effort will contribute to a change of knowledge on what are the best practices to implement and translate into activities or actions during implementation of the "Abriendo Caminos" curricula.To accomplish aim 2 (Implementation and evaluation) we will evaluate pre- and post-survey responses in surveys and measurable outcomes. The impact to prevent development of overweight/obesity or maintain healthy weight in 6 to 18 year-oldchildren from Hispanic-heritage families will be measured as changes in body mass and -importantly- by changes in measures of nutrition and lifestyle related to well-being. Measurable outcomes will be collected at baseline (pre-intervention), after the 6-week education program (post-intervention) and 6 months after completion of the program (maintenance). The impact of our evidence-based nutrition and behavioral modification curriculumin weight maintenance and obesity prevention in Hispanic children and their families will be evaluated by contrasting differences with control group and we will also consider the effect in each location where the curricula is implemented.Statistical analysis will include descriptive data,t-tests to compare groups, and advanced statistical modeling to identify mediators of positive response to intervention.To accomplish aim 3 (Train professionals) the impact of the experiential learningopportunities to disadvantaged (minority) students will be measured as an increase in recruitment and retention of students participating in this program. We will also perform a pre- and post-evaluation of cultural competence status among mentors and students at the beginning and at the end of the experiential learning opportunity, so changes in cultural competence status will be measured and described in a final report. The expected outcome will be measured as percent increase in recruitment and retention of minorities in participating institutions.

Progress 04/01/17 to 03/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Members of the target audience included the general public (families of Hispanic origin), nutrition Extension specialists, and undergraduate and graduate students. Changes/Problems:As the starting date was delayed, the search and hire of the program coordinator was not able to start her position until fall of 2015. However, after her maternity leave she decided to quit. Therefore, we adapted our coordination, organization and recruitment model to ensure all plans are completed ton ime. We were able to modify the position for visiting program coordinator and synergize assets in place at the University of Illinois. Therefore we have hired 2 part-time project coordinators to facilitate the grant activities. Norma Gonzalez (project coordinator 1) is bilingual (Spanish- English) and she is responsible for participant interactions, recruitment,and participant visits at Illinois. Anna Keck (project coordinator 2) is responsible for post grant support, tracking grant finances, milestone tracking, compliance and deliverables for all sites. Required documentation for those changes are included. Dr. Norma Olvera was included as a new collaborator at the University of Houston. Due to Hurricane Harvey that devastated the city of Houston in August 2017 - UH was closed for several days and several community recruitment sources were unable to function for several months delaying the achieving of our goals. In Puerto Rico, we conducted a trainer the trainer session from May 31st to June 2nd, 2017. Two of our graduate students from the University of Illinois, sponsored by this grant, trained the two program directors and 10 undergraduate students from the University of Puerto Rico at the campus in Rio Piedras. The trained students are part of the Nutrition and Dietitian Program and they will work on the proposal during the intervention sessions. Unfortunately we have some problems after the hurricane season and we expect some delays to start the intervention. We are experiencing some delays in assembling communication with our external partners as the web site and newsletter was established by the end of the semester. We establish a standing meeting every 3 months with our partners, and this has been sometimes proven to be difficult given the time frame differences and academic responsibilities. We will continue our newsletter updates. Although we initially planned to recruit a total of 100 families in one year, this proved to be unfeasible due to facility and space constraints, but equally due to the difficulty in recruiting this many families at one time. Our recruitment efforts resulted in a total of 6 workshop cycles at Champaign-Urbana-Rantoul, in 3 cycles in Fresno and in 3 cycles in Iowa. Overall, 225 families have participated in this randomized project (125 experimental; 100 control). Despite several problems on recruitment and retention, we have reach good milestones for the planned activities this year. We conducted at least 15 pre-assessment events for the families in intervention and control groups (83.3% and 67.7%, respectively). Therefore, it will be necessary to implement more cycles to accomplish the proposed recruitment goals. We expect to increase participation in California and Texas by 25%. This strategic idea is also justified given the demographic composition of these states.We incorporated new measures and adapted scripts to conduct focus groups in California, Iowa, and Puerto Rico, based on local feedback. Since we contemplated no-cost extension in our locations, no major changes in the budget are expected this year, and we will be able to extend the subawards and compensate expenses during the years 4 and 5 of the grant. We will intensify our efforts for recruitment, retention, and communication with community and academic partners. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?As part of the activities in our thirdeducational aim, the college students were taught with the new educational curricula developed and, as part of their training, we mentor them on research methods and analyses of the data collected. The second cohort of undergraduate students (n=12) for the "Hispanic Health Promotion" year-long curricula (FSHN499 / HCD494) at Illinois presented their capstone projects. In May of 2017 several of them graduated from college and decided to persue a graduate degree;others continued their engagement and decided to develop anindependent research project with our team. Students presented selected summaries of their findings at the annual undergraduate research symposium (UGRS) in Illinois and California. In total, for this fiscal year, 12 posters and 2 oral presentations atlocal universities have been presented. Again, as last year, one senior student and first-generation college-degree seekerwas awarded for his oral presentation at the UGRS in Illinois. Of the students trained we receivedseveral accolades: a) A first-generation college student got early admission to medical school and was also able to have a summer fellowship award, b) A student was admitted to the Dietetics internship, c) Several of the graduated students are applying to post-graduate degrees in health-related professions, d) Six of the trained students from previous cohorts decided to continue their contribution in the community program either as volunteers, in independent research projects related to "Abriendo Caminos", or with hourly compensation. To date, in Illinois3 of the students participating in the program are in medical school and 11 are in graduate school either in a masters or Ph.D. program. The third cohort of students (n=5) was recruited at Illinois and the curricula was delivered during Fall 2017, simultaneously with our partners in Fresno State, California, and Iowa State University and will continue in Spring 2017. In addition, an experiential learning opportunity was provided to students that are enrolled in SPAN 232 "Spanish in the community" (n=9). Overall, there were 39 undergraduates participating in the curricula across the 3 states. We have shared materials for simultaneous training and exchanged academic experiences. All students are recipients of direct supervision and mentoring with experiential learning opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have visited community agencies introducing and presenting our curriculum. Each agency that we have shared the program with has expressed that they are interested in reviewing the findings of the study. Every opportunity to present in communities of interest have been followed in all participating states. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to assemble and train implementation team (staff, educators, students, etc.). Continue to deliver the year-long curricula for undergraduates and mentor graduate/undergraduate students, recruitment of cohort 4 will start in April. Analyze data from focus groups, prepare reports and publications with the data collected in California, Iowa, and Illinois. Implement focus groups in Texas and Puerto Rico to ascertain the barriers and facilitators that families face in those locations for effective obesity prevention programs. Develop new adapted materials to deliver "Abriendo Caminos" workshops using the information from focus groups in Iowa and California. Recruit families for intervention and control groups (RCT) in Iowa and Puerto Rico In Illinois, implement RCT (Final cohort 7 (to the control families that have participated in previous cyle, and 6-month follow-up for cohorts 5 and 6)). Research team members in Illinoiswill visit California, Iowa, Texas, and Puerto Rico locations for collaboration meetings and research planning. Prepare for conference presentations (submit presentation proposal to review committee). Undergraduate students will present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of the Spring semester results of the analysis of focus groups and the data collected from the families to date (n=225). We will conduct 6-month follow-up for the cycles 5 and 6 families in Illinois and cycles 3 and 4 in California. The 6-month follow-up for the cycles in Iowa will start on Spring 2018. Texas and Puerto Rico will start the intervention during 2018. We plan to integrate web site information for exchange among undergraduates with our multi-state partners of their experimental learning opportunity reflections.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The main events to report to date include implementation of 7 focus groups and 10 cycles of workshops in the communities of the 3 participating states. Overall, 225 families have participated in this randomized project (125 experimental and100 control). Despite several problems in recruitment and retention, we have reach good milestones for the planned activities this year. We conducted at least 15 pre-assessment events for the families in intervention and control groups (83.3% and 67.7%, respectively). We incorporated new measures and adapted scripts to conduct focus groups in California, Iowa, and Puerto Ricobased on local feedback. Preliminary data on the results of implementation and evaluation of the newly adapted curricula have been presented in localand national meetings. The goal of training professionals and future professionals is well developed and has resulted in several accolades. To date, in Illinois3 of the students participating in the program are in medical school and 11 are in graduate school either in a masters or Ph.D. program. As planned last year, our two graduate students completed and deposited a master's degree thesis in the summer of 2017. Of note, they started the program in Fall 2015 at the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) and the Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS) and after obtaining the master's degree they decided to continue their training for a doctoral degree (Ph.D.). The DNS student successfully passed her qualifying exam and it is expected that the student in HDFS will completethepre-doctoral requisite this summer. All undergraduate and graduate students are receiving direct training and mentorship. The graduate students are making excellent progress towards their post bachelorette degree and they are expected to deposit their thesis by summer of 2017 and continue their training as they seek a Ph.D.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hannon, B., Villegas, E., Wiley, A. and Teran-Garcia, M. 2017. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Adherence to Key Recommendations in Hispanic Females. Poster Presentation At Experimental Biology.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Hannon, B., Villegas, E., Hammons, A., Wiley, A., Cruz-Santiago, M. and Teran-Garcia, M. 2016. Mothers Roadblocks to Child Health: Clearing the Path to the Prevention of Childhood Obesity. Poster and Oral Presentation at Obesity Week 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Villegas, E., Hannon, B., Wiley, A., Luna, V. and Teran-Garcia, M. 2017. Putting Family First: The Inclusion of Family Routines Education on Health Behaviors. Poster Presented at the National Council of Family Relations, Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Villegas, E., Fiese, B., Teran-Garcia, M. and the Abriendo Caminos Tea. 2017. Offering Snacks for the Wrong Reasons: The Relation Between Family Chaos and Snack Offerings in Hispanic Immigrant Mothers. Poster Presented at Ingestive Behavior Research Center Conference, West Lafayette, IN.�
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Luna, V., Villegas, E., Hannon, B., Wiley, A. and Teran-Garcia, M. 2017. Acculturation and Hispanic-Heritage Mother's Perceptions for Child Weight as Related to Child Feeding Practices. Experimental Biology, Chicago, IL, April, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Hannon, B., Figueroa, R., Luna, V., Villegas, E., Wiley, A. and Teran-Garcia, M. 2017. Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference: Associations Between Parent Diet and Child Body Composition. Poster presentation at Obesity Week 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Teran-Garcia, M., Wiley, A., Hannon, B. and Villegas, E. 2017. Clearing the Path to the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: How to Expedite the Track. Annual Meeting of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Evans, W., Garcia, A. and Hammons, A. 2017. The Effect of a Six-Week Family-Based Healthy Eating Program for Latino Children on their Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Fast Foods, and Sweets. Poster presented at the 38th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Rima, S., Barragan, M. and Hammons, A. 2017. Family-Based Workshops Associated with an Increase in Vegetable Consumption. Poster presented at the 38th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Dubberke, D., Rima, S., Barragan, M. and Hammons, A. 2017. Family Mealtimes: Clearing the Path to the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Hispanic Children. Poster presented at the 38th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Barragan, M., Rima, S., Dubberke, D. and Hammons, A. 2017. Family-Based Workshops Influence Parent and Child Snacking Behaviors. Poster presented at the 9th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference, San Diego, CA.


Progress 04/01/16 to 03/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Members of the target audience included the general public (families of Hispanic origin), nutrition Extension specialists, and undergraduate and graduate students. Changes/Problems:We are experiencing some delays in assembling communication with our external partners as the web site and newsletter was established by the end of the semester. We will continue our newsletter updates and new team members will facilitate this enterprise. Weestablished a standing meeting every 2-3 months with our partners, and this hassometimes proven to be difficult given the time frame differences and academic responsibilities. Although we initially planned to recruit a total of 100 families in one year (50 for intervention and 50 for control), this proved to be unfeasible due to facility and space constraints, but equally due to the difficulty in recruiting this many families at one time. Our recruitment efforts resulted in a total of 56 families recruited in the 3 cycles at Illinois and in 2 cycles in Fresno. In total, 113 families have been recruited and the first-cycle of the 6 month post-intervention evaluation was implemented in Illinois and California. Therefore, it will be necessary to implement more cycles to accomplish the proposed recruitment goals. Since we contemplated a non-cost extension in our locations, no major changes in the budget are expected. We will intensify our efforts for recruitment, retention, and communication with community and academic partners and a new model of collaborative work will be implemented. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The first cohort of undergraduate students (n=12) for the "Hispanic Health Promotion" year-long curricula (FSHN499 / HCD494) presented their capstone projects, five posters were displayed at the Undergraduate Research symposium at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus, and one oral presentation was selected and awarded recognition for best presentation in the section. Of the students trained we received several accolades: a) A first-generation college student got early admission to medical school and was also received a summer fellowship award, b) A student was admitted to the Dietetics internship, c) Several students graduating thisMay are applying to post-graduate degrees in health-related professions, and d) Three of the first cohort of students decided to continue their contribution in the program either as volunteers or with hourly compensation. The second cohort of students was recruited at Illinois and the curricula was delivered during Fall 2016, simultaneously with our partners at Fresno State University and at Iowa State University and will continue to Spring 2017 (n=9). Shared materials with for simultaneous training (n=8). In addition, an experiential learning opportunity was provided to students that are enrolled in SPAN 232 "Spanish in the Community" (n=9). All students are recipients of direct supervision and mentoring with experiential learning opportunities Overall 21 students have completed the Hispanic Health Promotion course in Illinois, 22 in California and 5 in Iowa. Two graduate students for master's degrees started the program in Fall 2015 at the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Division of Nutritional Sciences. They are receiving direct training and mentorship. They are making excellent progress towards their Master's degrees and expected to deposit thesis by summer of 2017 and continue their training as they seek a Ph.D. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?To date, besides 3 conference presentations in the annual meetings of the professional assoications of the Program Directors and Co-Directors, the Graduate students have presented in public forums preliminaryresults of their work. In addtion, the undegraduate students have been able to present on their campus (California and Illinois) the results of initial research questions. Ten posters have been presented to date. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will increase our recruitment efforts to accomplish the proposed goals. New models for recruitment with community outreach and school participation will be implemented. Long-term retention is challenging, therefore addtional outreach efforts are planned. The completion of the multi-state team goals for the information gathered from focus groups will allow the developmentand better implementation of"out of the box" materials and curricula to deliver the family workshops. Culturally appropriate food demonstrations and seasonal items will be included in new materials to develop and distribute.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Aim 1: Adaptation-related goals: Transcription, translation and preliminary thematic analyses of focus groups conducted in Illinois and California. The preliminary results were presented at the annual program directors meeting (San Diego, 2016). Additionally, as part of our 3rd educational aim, the students receiving the new educational curricula presented selected summaries of those findings at the annual undergraduate research symposium. As part of aim 2 (implement and evaluate the newly adapted Abriendo Caminos curricula)five cycles of workshops have been conducted. The long-term evaluation of the first cycle (6-months after intervention) is underway.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Engaging communities to promote healthy eating among Hispanic families. Annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. November 2 - November 6, 2016. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Mothers roadblocks to child heath: Clearing the path to the prevention of childhood obesity. Obesityweek (Annual meeting of the Obesity Society and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) New Orleans, Louisiana October 31 - November 4, 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Clearing the path to Hispanic health. Obesityweek (Annual meeting of the Obesity Society and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery). New Orleans, Louisiana October 31 - November 4, 2016.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Barragan, M., Evans, W., Nguyen, S., Kelley, T., Dubberke, D., Rima, S., Mahfoud, J., Ortega, K. and Hammons, A. 2016. Healthy diet in action workshops for Latino families. Poster presented at the 37th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Dubberke, D., Rima, S., Mahfound, J., Ortega, K., Barragan, M., Evans, W., Nguyen, S., Kelley, T. and Hammons, A. 2016. Gathering qualitative data From Hispanic families concerning eating, exercising habits and frequency of shared family mealtimes. Poster presented at the 37th Annual Central California Research Symposium, Fresno, CA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Margarita Teran-Garcia, Angela Wiley, Bridget Hannon, Elizabeth Villegas, Michelle Cruz-Santiago and the Abriendo Caminos Research Team. 2016. We dont know what we dont know: Using focus groups to tailor nutrition education in the Abriendo Caminos community intervention. Annual Meeting of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.


Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:members of the target audience included the general public (familes of Hispanic origin), nutrition Extension specialists, and undergraduate and graduate students. Changes/Problems:As the starting date was delayed, the program coordinator was not able to start her position until fall of 2015. However, we were fortunate to hire a great candidate and are working towards accomplishing the milestones on our original first year timeline. We will request a no-cost extension to ensure all plans are completed. As the starting date was delayed, we also experienced some delays in assembling communication with our external partners. However, our website and newsletter were established by the end of the fall semester. Our goal is to establish a standing meeting every three months and continue our newsletter quarterly. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities for training and development included: (1) a cohort of undergraduate students (n=12) for the "Hispanic Health Promotion" year-long curricula (FSHN499 / HCD494) were recruited and new curricula was delivered during Fall 2015; wewill continue in theSpring of 2016 (n=10). We also shared materials with Fresno State for simultaneous training (n=8); (2) all students are recipients of direct supervision and mentoring with experiential learning opportunities; (3) two graduate students started programs at Illinois in the Fall of 2015 in theDepartments of FSHN (master's degree) and HDFS (doctoral) andare receiving direct training and mentorship; and (4) professionalization materials were developed and added to the new curricula. We requested feedback from undergraduate students for the course. Responses included: "I've learned a lot about obesity trends and what causes obesity among Hispanics. I have also learned a lot about what goes into qualitative research and how to back up data. I have also learned very important professional development skills such as ways to email people and introduce yourself to others"; "Yes, you learn a lot, the professors actually care about you as a person and your future goals and really try to help you achieve those goals. Also, I'm sure actually talking to the families will be a very rewarding experience. You gain knowledge in research methods but are also able to apply it and see how it can help improve the lives of Hispanic families"; "I would recommend this course to other students. Besides the fact that the instructors in this course are truly great individuals, the material and lessons learned through the course will really help students in the future. Also, I believe students get a sense of what research is like, which is something other classes don't provide. Lastly, students are given the opportunity to grow and develop new skills personally, professionally, and academically". How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Participated in the 14th "Cambio de Colores - Change of Colors" multistate conference about integration of immigrants in new destinations in the Midwest at the University of Missouri - Kansas City June 10-12, 2015. We were selected for the Changing Communities Panel Inclusive and Multicultural Programs for Extension. Title: Improving the Health of Hispanic Families with an Extension Community-Based Curriculum "Abriendo Caminos". What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year Two we propose to : (1) assemble and train implementation team (staff, educators, students, etc); (2) continue to deliver the year-long curricula for undergraduates and mentor graduate/undergraduate students; (3) analyze data from focus groups, prepare report and publication; (4) develop new adapted materials to deliver "Abriendo Caminos" workshop; (5) recruit families for intervention and control groups (RCT); (6) implement RCT (Cohort 1, and 6-month follow-up); (7) research team members in Illinois will visit California, Iowa, Texas and Puerto Rico locations for collaboration meetings and research planning; (8) prepare for conference presentations (submit presentation proposal to review committee); and (9) undergraduate students will present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of the Spring semester results of the analysis of focus groups.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishments for this period included: (1) IRB approved, including incorporation of new measures and scripts for focus groups; (2) two focus groups conducted, initial transcriptions completed and thematic analyses is underway; (3) partnerships with community groups and Extension specialists continue to expand and deepen; (4) kick-off meeting with collaborators and academic partners took place in June, including discussion of updated timeline and development of a task checklist; (5)meeting with internal partners took place in December, with good feedback on progress and recommendations for communication and meetings with external partners; and (6) sub-award to CA State University at Fresno (USDA NIFA) was executed on 6/24/2015.

Publications