# Developing and Testing a Multilevel, Culturally Appropriate Lifestyle Intervention For Hispanic Patients with Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2024 · $127,893

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease, is now one of the main risk factors for adverse liver outcomes, and Hispanic/Latino adults have the
highest prevalence of MASLD compared to all other major racial/ethnic groups. Modifying diet and physical
activity to achieve clinically significant weight loss (≥5%) is the only current treatment for MASLD. There is an
urgent need to develop a culturally appropriate, multilevel, multidomain behavioral lifestyle intervention that
provides disease-specific education and support and that also addresses the upstream influences on lifestyle
behavior change in Hispanic/Latino patients with MASLD. The purpose of this K01 award is to prepare Dr.
Natalia Heredia with the training and experience necessary to achieve her career goal of becoming an
independent investigator focused on designing and implementing multilevel interventions to prevent and treat
lifestyle-related conditions in Hispanic/Latino populations. Through both career development activities and the
mentored research project, the proposed development plan is intended to ensure Dr. Heredia receives training
in 1) multilevel lifestyle intervention development and implementation; 2) dissemination and implementation
(D&I) research methods, including the adaptation of evidence-based interventions, and the use of mixed-
methods research and hybrid-effectiveness designs; 3) liver disease diagnosis and management; and 4)
statistical methods for testing multilevel lifestyle interventions. Dr. Heredia's mentoring team is composed of
experts in lifestyle behaviors and interventions (Dr. Lorna McNeill, co-primary mentor), D&I research and
Hispanic/Latino health (Dr. Maria Fernandez, co-primary mentor), liver disease (Dr. Jessica Hwang, co-
mentor), and statistical methods for testing interventions (Dr. MinJae Lee, co-mentor). With guidance from her
mentors, Dr. Heredia will adapt and pilot test a culturally appropriate multilevel, multidomain behavioral lifestyle
intervention to achieve important changes in physical activity and diet, promote weight loss, and improve liver-
related outcomes for Hispanic/Latino patients with MASLD. The study aims are to 1) adapt an individual-level
lifestyle intervention for Hispanic/Latino patients with MASLD such that it addresses multiple levels and
domains of influence, emphasizing the role of family members, healthcare providers, and access to social
services, 2) using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, conduct a quasi-experimental pilot study
of the multilevel intervention to assess feasibility and preliminary effectiveness, and 3) explore patient, family,
and provider experiences in the pilot study to explain findings and refine the multilevel, multidomain
intervention. Completion of the study will result in a finalized multilevel lifestyle intervention to support an R01
application for a full-scale trial evalua...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10984850
- **Project number:** 1K01MD019149-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Natalia I Heredia
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $127,893
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-19 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10984850

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10984850, Developing and Testing a Multilevel, Culturally Appropriate Lifestyle Intervention For Hispanic Patients with Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (1K01MD019149-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10984850. Licensed CC0.

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