# Follow-up of a Culturally-Grounded Diabetes Prevention Program for Obese Latino Adolescents

> **NIH NIH U54** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2020 · $286,828

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract:
 Obesity and related health disparities represent significant public health challenges that continue to
have a negative impact on society. In particular, obese Latino youth are a key and vulnerable population that
experience disproportionate rates of type 2 diabetes. To address these disparities, our team of academic and
community partners through support from NIMHD and the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center has
collaborated for 10 years to develop, implement, test, refine, and expand a community based-based, family-
focused diabetes prevention intervention for obese Latino adolescents. Every Little Step Counts (ELSC) is a
comprehensive lifestyle intervention that is framed within an Ecodevelopmental Model to leverage individual,
social, community, and cultural factors in order to improve health behaviors (nutrition and physical activity) and
reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes among obese Latino adolescents. Preliminary results from our current
P20-funded trial support the efficacy of the ELSC intervention to improve glucose tolerance among 90 obese
Latino adolescents (age 14-16). We now propose a long-term follow-up of participants who completed ELSC
over the past four years and are now young adults (age 18-22) in order to 1) describe individual diabetes-
related health profiles following the lifestyle intervention and 2) examine how cultural family norms, the home
food environment, and neighborhood environment are associated with changes in health profiles over time. We
will use latent profile analyses to examine the following aims. Specific Aim 1: To describe individual diabetes
risk profiles over a 5-year period in response to a culturally-grounded diabetes prevention intervention for
obese Latino adolescents. Specific Aim 2: To examine whether cultural family norms that include family
cohesion, familism, and supportive parenting styles are associated with individual diabetes risk profiles over
time. Specific Aim 3: To examine whether the home food environment (availability of fruits, vegetables, high-
sugar foods and beverages) is associated with individual diabetes risk profiles over time. Specific Aim 4: To
examine if the neighborhood built environment (walkability) or social environment (disadvantage, cohesion,
and trust) are associated with individual diabetes risk profiles over time. The project builds upon an established
academic-community collaboration and a comprehensively characterized cohort from a vulnerable and
underrepresented population. The team has an extensive track-record for translating research findings into
meaningful health promotion and disease prevention interventions in the community. This project targets an
understudied population that has undergone a critical developmental transition that is associated with future
health outcomes. Lastly, the contextual factors of interest have not been studied in the context of long-term
health changes following lifestyle intervention. The...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9928309
- **Project number:** 5U54MD002316-14
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Gabriel Quantum Shaibi
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $286,828
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9928309

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9928309, Follow-up of a Culturally-Grounded Diabetes Prevention Program for Obese Latino Adolescents (5U54MD002316-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9928309. Licensed CC0.

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