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Vivir Con Un Corazón Saludable: a Community-Based Educational Program Aimed at Increasing Cardiovascular Health Knowledge in High-Risk Hispanic Women

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Abstract

Background

Hispanic women suffer from high rates of cardiometabolic risk factors and an increasingly disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Particularly, Hispanic women with limited English proficiency suffer from low levels of CVD knowledge associated with adverse CVD health outcomes.

Methods

Thirty-two predominantly Spanish-speaking Hispanic women completed, Vivir Con un Corazón Saludable (VCUCS), a culturally tailored Spanish language-based 6-week intensive community program targeting CVD health knowledge through weekly interactive health sessions. A 30-question CVD knowledge questionnaire was used to assess mean changes in CVD knowledge at baseline and postintervention across five major knowledge domains including CVD epidemiology, dietary knowledge, medical information, risk factors, and heart attack symptoms.

Results

Completion of the program was associated with a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in total mean CVD knowledge scores from 39 % (mean 11.7/30.0) to 66 % (mean 19.8/30.0) postintervention consistent with a 68 % increase in overall mean CVD scores. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in mean knowledge scores across all five CVD domains.

Conclusion

A culturally tailored Spanish language-based health program is effective in increasing CVD awareness among high CVD risk Hispanic women with low English proficiency and low baseline CVD knowledge.

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Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000(5). Informed consent was obtained from participants for being included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

Daniela Romero, MD, Aileen Sauris, NP, Fátima Rodriguez, MD, MPH, Daniela Delgado BS, Ankita Reddy, and JoAnne M. Foody MD declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Daniela C. Romero, Aileen Sauris & JoAnne M. Foody

  2. Standford Hospital and Clinics, Standford, CA, USA

    Fátima Rodriguez

  3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Daniela Delgado

  4. Richard Montgomery High School, Rockville, MD, USA

    Ankita Reddy

Authors
  1. Daniela C. Romero
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  2. Aileen Sauris
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  4. Daniela Delgado
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  6. JoAnne M. Foody
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniela C. Romero.

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Romero, D.C., Sauris, A., Rodriguez, F. et al. Vivir Con Un Corazón Saludable: a Community-Based Educational Program Aimed at Increasing Cardiovascular Health Knowledge in High-Risk Hispanic Women. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 3, 99–107 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0119-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0119-6

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