Firmly grounded in the belief that health outcomes must be contextualized, Dr. Hudson Santos is exploring whether a community-driven intervention that addresses social determinants of health can improve obesity-related outcomes among immigrant Latina mothers and their children. Importantly, this research is studying the interaction between participants’ environments—including whether they live in poverty, have access to healthy food, and more—and their individual biology, how the two correlate with health and disease, and how the two affect health equity. The intervention offers nutrition counseling, physical activity education, peer support, and English as a second language and assesses metrics such as heart rate, number of steps, and weight. This research has the potential to help unravel the complexities of obesity, while demonstrating the importance of using collaborative and culturally tailored approaches to addressing social determinants of health.
Healthy Mothers-Healthy Children: An Intervention with Hispanic Mothers and their Young Children; PI: Santos; University of Miami Coral Gables; 7R01NR017199-05