# Tu Salud Si Cuenta!  Reaching Latino family dyads to increase physical activity and healthy eating

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $687,755

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Most adults in the U.S. fail to meet national physical activity (PA) and dietary recommendations, and Latinos
are less likely to meet these recommendations than non-Latino Whites. Physical inactivity, a poor diet, and
obesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and stroke and are
important contributors to preventable morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Social environments are widely
recognized to have an important impact on these behaviors, yet most behavior change programs give limited
attention to the social contexts in which behaviors occur. The goal of the proposed research is to evaluate the
efficacy of a 6-month, community-based family dyad intervention in promoting engagement in and
maintenance of PA and healthy eating among Latino adults residing in three predominantly Latino communities
in Houston, TX. Dyads will be randomly assigned to a community health worker (CHW)-led intervention, “Tu
Salud, ¡Si Cuenta! – Familiar” (TSSC-Family) or to a contact control condition focused on healthy homes.
TSSC-Family will consist of six home visits delivered to dyad members over a six-month period to build
behavioral skills and social support for sustained healthy behavior change among Latino family dyads. The
healthy homes contact control will also consist of six monthly visits delivered to dyad members by a CHW.
Study participants will include 552 Latino adults not currently meeting PA or nutrition recommendations
recruited and enrolled as family member dyads (n=276 dyads). This approach expands on an empirically-
based motivational behavior change intervention developed by a member of the investigative team in
collaboration with community partners that has shown preliminary evidence of effectiveness for positive PA
and dietary behavior change in Latino individuals. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12
months after baseline to evaluate both intermediate and long-term effects. Primary outcomes include minutes
per week of moderate and vigorous PA, and servings of fruits and vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages,
and whole grains. Weight loss is a secondary outcome. Self-efficacy, stage of change, social support, and
social control will also be examined as potential mediators of changes in PA and nutrition. The proposed
research is innovative in its use of a novel intervention that emphasizes dyadic social processes in addition to
standard behavior change strategies. The intervention explicitly targets family-based social networks to foster
social environments supportive of healthy behavior change using CHWs to facilitate home-based outreach and
communication to this understudied population. This research is expected to yield critical insight regarding
effective approaches for increasing PA and healthy eating among Latinos, the largest and among the fastest
growing minority groups in the U.S.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9856314
- **Project number:** 5R01HL128705-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Larkin Strong
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $687,755
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9856314

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9856314, Tu Salud Si Cuenta!  Reaching Latino family dyads to increase physical activity and healthy eating (5R01HL128705-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9856314. Licensed CC0.

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