Obesity disproportionately affects Mexicans, the largest Hispanic subpopulation in the United States. Over 78% of Mexican women and 81% of Mexican men are obese or overweight and thus, at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and several cancers. Family COMIDA aims to develop and implement a remote diet and nutrition intervention that will provide education and peer support to encourage behavioral change among US Mexicans. To inform the development of Family COMIDA, we reviewed the results of a related intervention, SAlud y Nutrición para todOS (SANOS), or Health and Nutrition for All. In SANOS, focus groups were conducted to learn about participants’ dietary needs and priorities. Participants described a desire for group-based motivation, family as the primary motivator of healthy eating, an emphasis on short term goal setting, and the need to problem solve around the lack of time needed to prepare healthy meals. Drawing from these results, Family COMIDA will include family nutrition education sessions using teleconferencing technology; access to health information, neighborhood resources, and interactive activities via a website; weekly group teleconference calls to encourage peer support and exchange of ideas; and thrice weekly healthy diet and lifestyle text messages. Participants for the intervention will be recruited remotely through a database of prior visitors to the Ventanillas de Salud (VDS), or Health Windows, program of the Mexican Consulate in New York City. An intake assessment and a three month follow up will be conducted to evaluate changes in dietary behavior, BMI, and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to diet and nutrition. Family COMIDA has the potential to help families eat healthier, exercise more, and achieve and maintain a healthy weight. If successful, Family COMIDA can be further assessed in a large-scale study, and ultimately be disseminated more broadly to reduce obesity and its related diseases among US Mexicans.
