This program is somewhat unique to other community- based health programs for youth in that the delivery of the intervention was not in partnership with schools or the school system. Previous school-based obesity inter- ventions have yielded modest effects on weight-related outcomes and very few have been successful in terms of reducing T2D risk factors in adolescents.45 Although schools may appear to be a logical venue for implement- ing diabetes prevention programs for children and ado- lescents, the limited success of previous studies and the economic challenges schools are facing suggest that alternative community-based strategies be tested. The ELSC-DPP was delivered in a YMCA located in a large municipal setting. The primary reason for partnering with the YMCA was the mutual interest in developing diabetes prevention programs for Latino youth in the col- lective community. However, from a public health per- spective, the YMCA may be an ideal venue to deliver diabetes prevention programs on a large scale. It is esti- mated that ~70 million US households live within 3 miles of a YMCA and the YMCA reaches more than 10 million children and adolescents in over 10 000 US communities.46 From a policy perspective, the YMCA’s mission is to strengthen the communities it serves regard- less of gender, income, faith, sexual orientation, or cul- tural background. Furthermore, the YMCA has proven to be a viable venue for translating the DPP curriculum into the community to prevent diabetes in high-risk adults.47 Taken together, these results suggest that culturally grounded diabetes prevention programs for Latino youth can be successfully delivered in the community setting through the YMCA.
The strength of this study includes the focus on a high-risk population of adolescents, a culturally grounded intervention developed in collaboration with the com- munity for delivery in the community, and the inclusion of robust measures of T2D risk. Despite these strengths, there are limitations that are worthy of comment. First, the relatively small sample size may limit the power to detect smaller effect sizes, as well as limiting the gener- alizability of our findings. However, this was a feasibility study and the intervention was developed specifically to meet the needs of obese Latino adolescents in a defined community. While these findings may not be generaliz- able, this approach can and should be tested in other communities and populations, given a local adaptation to ground the intervention consistent with the culture of the local community. The lack of a randomized control design also limits the ability to draw definitive conclu- sions as to whether the results were uniquely attributable to the intervention relative to an alternate source of influ- ence. Clearly it is important to maintain scientific rigor in order to conduct sound science, but in order for trans- lational science to truly be transformative, approaches must be viable in real-world settings.48 It is challenging enough for scientists to establish the necessary rapport and trust to develop meaningful collaborations with vul- nerable communities, and to expect these communities to agree to exclude up to half of their population from receiving potential health benefits (ie, randomized to a control or usual care group) may be unrealistic and do little to close the widening health disparities gap.48 Nevertheless, future studies should evaluate the efficacy of similar programs against a more traditional control or reference group.
In conclusion, these promising results suggest that a culturally grounded community-based lifestyle interven- tion program can reduce T2D risk factors among obese Latino adolescents. Translational approaches that include community collaboration and family involvement to improve robust individual health outcomes among high- risk youth should be tested in various populations. If successful, this approach may substantially reduce the overall burden of obesity-related disease in our society.
This program is somewhat unique to other community- based health programs for youth in that the delivery of the intervention was not in partnership with schools or the school system. Previous school-based obesity inter- ventions have yielded modest effects on weight-related outcomes and very few have been successful in terms of reducing T2D risk factors in adolescents.45 Although schools may appear to be a logical venue for implement- ing diabetes prevention programs for children and ado- lescents, the limited success of previous studies and the economic challenges schools are facing suggest that alternative community-based strategies be tested. The ELSC-DPP was delivered in a YMCA located in a large municipal setting. The primary reason for partnering with the YMCA was the mutual interest in developing diabetes prevention programs for Latino youth in the col- lective community. However, from a public health per- spective, the YMCA may be an ideal venue to deliver diabetes prevention programs on a large scale. It is esti- mated that ~70 million US households live within 3 miles of a YMCA and the YMCA reaches more than 10 million children and adolescents in over 10 000 US communities.46 From a policy perspective, the YMCA’s mission is to strengthen the communities it serves regard- less of gender, income, faith, sexual orientation, or cul- tural background. Furthermore, the YMCA has proven to be a viable venue for translating the DPP curriculum into the community to prevent diabetes in high-risk adults.47 Taken together, these results suggest that culturally grounded diabetes prevention programs for Latino youth can be successfully delivered in the community setting through the YMCA.
The strength of this study includes the focus on a high-risk population of adolescents, a culturally grounded intervention developed in collaboration with the com- munity for delivery in the community, and the inclusion of robust measures of T2D risk. Despite these strengths, there are limitations that are worthy of comment. First, the relatively small sample size may limit the power to detect smaller effect sizes, as well as limiting the gener- alizability of our findings. However, this was a feasibility study and the intervention was developed specifically to meet the needs of obese Latino adolescents in a defined community. While these findings may not be generaliz- able, this approach can and should be tested in other communities and populations, given a local adaptation to ground the intervention consistent with the culture of the local community. The lack of a randomized control design also limits the ability to draw definitive conclu- sions as to whether the results were uniquely attributable to the intervention relative to an alternate source of influ- ence. Clearly it is important to maintain scientific rigor in order to conduct sound science, but in order for trans- lational science to truly be transformative, approaches must be viable in real-world settings.48 It is challenging enough for scientists to establish the necessary rapport and trust to develop meaningful collaborations with vul- nerable communities, and to expect these communities to agree to exclude up to half of their population from receiving potential health benefits (ie, randomized to a control or usual care group) may be unrealistic and do little to close the widening health disparities gap.48 Nevertheless, future studies should evaluate the efficacy of similar programs against a more traditional control or reference group.
In conclusion, these promising results suggest that a culturally grounded community-based lifestyle interven- tion program can reduce T2D risk factors among obese Latino adolescents. Translational approaches that include community collaboration and family involvement to improve robust individual health outcomes among high- risk youth should be tested in various populations. If successful, this approach may substantially reduce the overall burden of obesity-related disease in our society.
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