Long Beach Collaborative

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LBC logo - girl playing with an orange
The Long Beach Collaborative (LBC) Project was a joint effort between the CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, & Leadership Training, TCC Family Health (formerly The Children’s Clinic), the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (LBDHHS), and the CSULB Statistical Consulting Group, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, to prevent childhood obesity among Hispanic/Latino (H/L) youth ages 5-12 in the City of Long Beach (LB) in Los Angeles County (LAC), California (CA). In LAC, racial/ethnic disparities exist in obesity and death from obesity-related causes among H/L. The majority of H/L families reside in low socio-economic status neighborhoods wherein there is an overwhelming disparity in health status compared to other neighborhoods. According to the latest LAC Health Survey (2007), H/L had almost double the adult obesity rates than non-Hispanic White counterparts (nHWs) (29.4% vs. 17.6%). Similarly, H/L youth in LAC experience higher rates of obesity (27.5%).

The program was developed to address increased rates of childhood overweight and obesity primarily through its family-level approach. It incorporated interactive nutrition education and activities wherein children learn to change their dietary and physical activity behaviors with support from their families. Nutrition-related topics and activities included cooking demonstrations, the importance of family meals and breakfast consumption, among others.

Funder

Office of Minority Health
Grant Number: 5 CPIMP171149-02-00

Purpose

To reduce the prevalence of and prevent childhood obesity among Hispanic/Latino (H/L) youth, ages 5-12, in the city of Long Beach (LB), to reduce the short-term and long-term risks of cardio metabolic conditions.

Implementation

Family-centered approach

Target

240 H/L families with children between 5-12 years of age (120 per condition)

Study Design

Quasi-experimental study design, using the following curricula for intervention:

  1. KidShape 2.0
  2. Sports, Play, and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) After School Physical Activity
  3. Sanos Y Fuertes: Healthy & Strong

TCC Family Health provided physician trainings on CLAS standards, annual wellness exams for the children, and referral to services to address social determinants of health.

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (LBDHHS) provided space for program implementation at the Center for Families and Youth.

The CSULB Statistical Consulting Group, Department of Mathematics and Statistics lead the evaluation of the data collected.

Long Term Goal 1

Establish the Long Beach Collaborative led by the CSULB Center and The Children’s Clinic to address the disparate rates of childhood obesity among H/L communities in Long Beach, CA.

Objectives

  1. Establish a Community Advisory Board comprised of community stakeholders to provide the Long Beach Collaborative with advice and guidance in designing, implementing, and evaluating the childhood obesity intervention, by end of project.

    1. Recruit 9 multi-sectoral community stakeholders to participate in the Community Advisory Board, by month 3.

    2. Conduct quarterly Community Advisory Board meetings in months 4-36.

  2. Develop a Community Resource Library comprised of information regarding local health services as well as social, support, and/or behavioral treatment programs available to address H/L health disparities and reduce H/L childhood obesity, by end of project.

    1. Collect information on local health and social services available in Long Beach.

    2. Make the online/print resource library information available through the project website (CSULB Center and TCC), LBDHHS, and other community organizations, by month 18.

Long Term Goal 2

Implement the culturally and linguistically appropriate, family-centered Long Beach Familias Saludables (Healthy Families) quasi-experimental intervention to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity among H/L families with children 6-11 years of age residing in Long Beach, CA. This goal is in alignment with the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators:

  1. NWS-10.4 to reduce the proportion of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years who are considered obese; and

  2. NWS-15.1 to increase the contribution of total vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older.

​Objectives

  1. Develop the Long Beach Familias Saludables intervention using components of KidShape 2.0, SPARK After School Program, and Sanos y Fuertes: Healthy & Strong intervention, by month 8.

  2. Enroll 240 H/L Latino families with children 6-11 years of age to participate in the Long Beach Familias Saludables quasi-experimental intervention (120 intervention and 120 control), by month 24.

  3. Reduce the proportion of H/L children ages 6-11 years who are considered obese among intervention participants, by end of project.

    1. Decrease the body mass index of H/L children ages 6-11 years who are obese and overweight receiving the intervention between baseline and 9-month follow-up.

    2. Decrease the consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugar-sweetened beverages among H/L children ages 6-11 years receiving the intervention between baseline and 9-month follow-up.

    3. Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among H/L children ages 6-11 years receiving the intervention between baseline and 9-month follow-up.

    4. Decrease the duration of daily time spent in sedentary behaviors among H/L children ages 6-11 years receiving the intervention between baseline and 9-month follow-up

    5. Increase the proportion of intervention participating H/L children ages 6-11 years achieving 60 minutes of physical activity each day between baseline and 9-month follow-up.

    6. Increase the number of minutes spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity among caregivers who have H/L children ages 6-11 years receiving the intervention between baseline and 9-month follow-up.

Long Term Goal 3

Identify and develop strategies to address social determinants of health impacting access to and utilization of healthcare and services offered through the Long Beach Collaborative in efforts to address childhood obesity among H/L communities.

Objectives

  1. Screen for social determinants of health among participating H/L children ages 6-11 years, by month 24.
  2. Provide referrals and linkages to services as appropriate to address social determinants of health among participating H/L children ages 6-11 years, throughout the project.
  3. Identify gaps in services available through the Long Beach Collaborative to address social determinants of health among participating H/L children ages 6-11 years, by end of project.
    1. Develop a summary report providing recommendations for services needed to address social determinants of health among H/L children ages 6-11 years, by end of project.

Primary Outcome

A significant decrease in BMI among obese and overweight Hispanic/Latino children ages 5-12 years enrolled in the LB Familias Saludables intervention.

Secondary Outcomes

A significant increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables
A significant decrease in consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugar-sweetened beverages
A significant decrease in the direction of daily time spent in sedentary behaviors.

The following video briefly presents results of this study presented at the 2021 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting.

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Video Placeholder

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Mara Bird profile

Mara Bird, PhD
Co-Investigator
Faculty Mentor
Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation & Leadership Training | Director

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Elisa Nicholas profile

Elisa Nicholas, MD
Co-Principle Investigator
Project Coordinator
TCC Family Health | CEO

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Diana Aguirre profile

Diana Aguirre, MPH, CHES
Project Coordinator
Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation & Leadership Training

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Dr. Olga Korosteleva profile

Olga Korosteleva, PhD
Evaluator
Statistical Consulting Group | Director
CSULB Department of Mathematics and Statistics

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Blank profile

Jennifer Ponce
Program Manager
TCC Family Health

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Yoselin Garcia profile

Yoselin Garcia
Community Health Worker
TCC Family Health