Better nutrition on a budget in Hispanic communities
Bilingual student researchers develop a culturally-informed program to improve healthy food choices and reduce cardiovascular disease
Video by Tyler Marnin, Angela Vasquez, and Andre Young
To reduce cardiovascular disease in Hispanic and Latino populations, Amanda McClain and her team of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» student researchers are focused on promoting access to nutritious foods and modifying food choice and diet through a culturally-informed intervention.
Students like recent graduate Ashley Diaz Mendez (‘26) are speaking directly with Hispanic and Latino patients at a federally qualified health center in southeastern San Diego County about their grocery shopping and cooking habits. Based on these conversations and inspiration from Diaz Mendez chatting with her own grandmothers about healthy cooking, McClain’s team is adapting an evidence-based program to facilitate budget-conscious, nutritionally balanced food choices. Patients will then be able to try out the program.
Diaz Mendez said that this research project helped her find a place where she belonged at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and where she could make a positive contribution as a bilingual, bicultural student originally from Tijuana.
This experience reaffirmed Diaz Mendez’s goal of becoming a pediatric dietitian and she is now pursuing her master’s degree in dietetics.
Diaz Mendez’s role as a student research assistant was supported by the (SURP).
Learn more about Proyecto Hablando sobre Habilidades y Oportunidades para Ganar AlimentacÃon con Resistencia (HHOGAR) (Talking about Habits and Opportunities to Improve Nutrition with Resilience Project) and McClain’s Food Access Research for Equity (FARE) Nutrition lab .
