Supporting healthy weight in times of crisis: results of a one-year community health worker-led intervention among food (in)secure low-income Latinas

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a major health crisis, one that left the US healthcare system overburdened and with persisting health disparities between certain groups. A group that was and remains disproportionately affected is low-income Latino women (Latinas), especially those with food insecurity. Community health worker (CHW)-led interventions have been successful at improving the results of interventions among disadvantaged populations but their efficacy during times of crisis is not clear. Our purpose was to assess the one-year effects of an intervention for low-income overweight/obese Latinas delivered by CHWs during the first year of the pandemic. Results between food insecure and food secure individuals are compared. For this non-equivalent multi-method/mixed methods study, overweight/obese low-income Latinas (N = 62) living in Southern California attended a weight-management lifestyle intervention led by trained CHWs. The intervention began immediately prior to the pandemic and lasted for a year. Hemoglobin A1C and biometric measurements were collected in three months intervals from baseline. Baseline to one-year post results are the focus of this paper. Qualitative feedback from participants is also analyzed and compared. Participants’ weight and waist circumference improved (p = .004 and p = .005, respectively) with younger participants experiencing larger improvements. However, those experiencing food insecurity benefited as much as food secure participants at one year follow-up. Weight loss was attributed mainly to social/emotional support and increased knowledge. While most of their fellow community-members gained weight, obese and overweight low-income, food insecure Latinas enrolled in a CHW-led intervention were able to lose weight and reduce their risk of obesity-related chronic diseases during the peak of the pandemic.