Engaging Latinos in an Academic-Community Partnership in Montana through a Health Screening Event

View/ Open
Date
2021-03Author
Moyce, Sally C.
Sisson, Nathaniel
Thompson, Sophia
Velazqueaz, Maria
Claudio, David
Aghbashian, Elizabeth
Demorest, Heather
Vanderwood, Karl
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Background: Engaging minorities in research especially in Montana where Latinos make up a small percentage of the population can be a challenge. We describe an effort to recruit Latinos into a research study by hosting a health screening event. Purpose: This event served as the first step in the creation of an academic-community partnership. Methods: We formed an interdisciplinary research team and involved key community stakeholders in planning a health screening event. We provided lunch, flu vaccinations, and screening measures including blood pressure, body mass index, and diabetes status. We also asked for volunteers to sign up to participate in future focus groups. Results: Thirty five people participated in the health screening event, and 29 people volunteered to engage in future research. The majority of participants reported not having health insurance or a regular medical provider, were overweight or obese, and did not have diabetes. Discussion: Engaging the Latino community in research is important, and this paper describes the first step in the creation of an academic-community partnership. Translation to Health Education Practice: Attention to community needs through active partnership and adherence to the responsibilities and competencies for health education specialists provides an example of a successful study that can be adapted to other populations.
Description
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in American Journal of Health Education on 2021-03-04, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/19325037.2021.1877221.
Citation
Moyce, Sally C., Nathaniel Sisson, Sophia Thompson, Maria Velazqueaz, David Claudio, Elizabeth Aghbashian, Heather Demorest, and Karl Vanderwood. "Engaging Latinos in an academic-community partnership in Montana through a health screening event." American journal of health education 52, no. 2 (2021): 72-79.