Obesity Treatment for Urban, Low-Income Latinos With Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

It is well known that there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. Ethnic variations in the epidemic indicate that African Americans and Latinos are at higher risk than the general population. The Washington Heights Community Service (WHCS) provides psychiatric services for people with severe mental illness living in Northern Manhattan. Because our participants are mostly Dominican-American, we incorporate cultural influences on food, diet, and exercise that might be relevant for them. We also address the cultural belief that being somewhat overweight is viewed as desirable. The centrality of family in Hispanic cultures is well documented. We invite family members to a special class to encourage their involvement in the program. This provides an opportunity for the group leader to explain the intervention, answer questions, and solicit support for participants. We have enrolled 50 patients into this program so far. These patients enjoy participating, and some have lost weight. It is our ultimate goal to assess the feasibility and efficacy of this modified behavioral course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)