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Improving Heart Healthy Lifestyles Among Participants in a Salud Para Su Corazón Promotores Model: The Mexican Pilot Study, 2009-2012

ORIGINAL RESEARCH — Volume 12 — March 12, 2015

Comparing pretest to posttest responses among adults aged 60 or younger, positive responses for the reduction of cholesterol and fat consumption (P = .03) and weight control decreased (P = .04) (Figure 1). Among participants older than 60, posttest positive responses for reduction in sodium intake (P = .008) and weight control increased (P = .009) but decreased for cholesterol and fat consumption (P = .02), compared with the pretest responses.

 

Age Group/HabitPretest, %P ValueaPosttest, %P Valuea
YesNoSometimesYesNoSometimes
Adults ≤60 y (n = 279)
Sodium intake58.432.39.3.00128.331.240.5<.001
Cholesterol and fat intake50.531.517.9.00130.150.219.7.001
Weight31.239.829.0.00210.451.338.4<.001
Adults >60 y (n = 173)
Sodium intake8.161.830.1.00115.638.246.2.001
Cholesterol and fat intake11.638.250.3.2414.550.335.3.21
Weight15.627.257.2.3817.32.979.8.28

a χ2 test comparing differences of posttest to pretest responses within each category.

Figure 1. Distribution of responses for heart-healthy habits among adult participants at baseline (pretest) and 12-week postintervention follow-up (posttest) in the Salud para su Corazón Mexican pilot study. Responses were positive if the respondent answered yes for improved (less salt, saturated fat, and cholesterol consumption, more weight control or weight reduction) or “sometimes” improved on some days but not all the time. Negative responses if the respondent answered “no” meaning the positive health behavior is the same or decreasing (such as more or same amount of salt intake or cholesterol and fat consumption, less weight control or weight gain).

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Adults aged 60 or younger who felt that they “cannot take the first step” to modify lifestyle behaviors at pretest decreased from 25.0% to 6.8% at posttest (P = .03) ( Table 3). Adults who felt they were “taking action” to modify lifestyle behaviors increased from 31.5% to 63.0% (P < .001) for those 60 or younger and increased for those older than 60 from 30.0% to 45.0% (P < .001).

Daily Activity/Type of ExerciseAdults ≤60 y, %P ValueaAdults >60 y, %P Valuea
PretestPosttestPretestPosttest
Daily activity
Used stairs33.734.2.2260.773.3.04
Used the bus and walked41.229.9.0238.259.8<.001
Walked26.633.1.0256.982.5<.001
Gardened25.333.7.0320.736.5<.001
Type of exercise
Type A19.852.5.1731.956.0<.001
Type B34.229.7.0454.171.6<.001
Type C30.665.0<.00139.876.1<.001

a t-test used to assess for significant differences of pretest to posttest responses within age group.

Figure 2. Percentage of positive responses about various physical activities among participants from baseline (pretest) to 12-week post-intervention follow-up (posttest) in the Salud para su Corazón Mexican pilot study. Physical activities were reported as percentage of time doing the following: using stairs, using the bus and walking, walking, gardening, or performing 3 types of exercise: type A (exercised 10 minutes, 3 times/day, some days of the week), type B (exercised 30 minutes/d, some days of the week), and type C (exercised 30 minutes/d, ≥3 times/week).

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