An Examination of Health-Promoting Behaviors Among Hispanic Adults Using an Activation and Empowerment Approach

What Is the Purpose of this Study/Review?

• • The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between person-centered, modifiable variables (i.e., activation, empowerment, and self-praise) and health-promoting behaviors (i.e., healthy eating and physical activity) among a sample of predominantly overweight/obese Hispanic adults recruited from two Hispanic churches and their surrounding communities in the Bronx, New York.

What Is the Problem?

• • Obesity is a national epidemic in the United States.

• • Over the past 30 years, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity have increased significantly in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities such as Hispanics.

• • Hispanic adults have a higher prevalence of obesity compared with non-Hispanic White adults.

• • Seventy-seven percent of Hispanic adults are considered overweight or obese, and 46.9% of Hispanic women and 37.9% of Hispanic men are considered obese.

• • Weight loss interventions designed for the general population are less successful with individuals from ethnically underserved populations, such as Hispanics.

• • Culturally informed, person-centered factors may influence engagement in healthy eating and physical activity.

What Are the Findings?

• • Empowerment and self-praise were significant and positively associated with greater levels of engagement in healthy eating.

• • Self-praise was significant and positively associated with greater levels of engagement in physical activity.

Who Should Care Most?

• • Individuals interested in creating health promoting interventions among Hispanic adults.

Recommendations for Action

• • Research should be conducted to identify strategies to increase empowerment and self-praise among Hispanic adults.

• • Identifying these strategies will likely increase Hispanic adults’ engagement in healthy eating and physical activity.