Students from the Minor in the Global Professions at the Undergraduate Research Day Symposium

“Making a difference in the Hispanic Community: A study about the Impact of Obesity and Diabetes Education at the ECHOS Food Bank”

Two students from the Minor in the Health Professions, Cristian Martínez and Alondra Uribe, presented their research project at the Undergraduate Research Day event on October 13. Their research focused on health literacy in the Hispanic community, and they assessed the impact of a culturally and linguistically appropriate educational tool on knowledge about obesity, nutrition and physical exercise in relation to diabetes.

For the students it was an eye opening experience about the needs of the community, but also about how they see themselves as future health practitioners, as Cristian expressed, "I've known from my classes that the Hispanic population lacks information about certain health related issues because of culture and sometimes hardships when it comes to food. Actually going out and trying to make a difference has opened my eyes to where the need is, and what we should be doing to empower Hispanic communities and health literacy. After speaking with so many people I can truly say we can make a difference." For Alondra, the discovery centered on choices about her career path, "I didn't know I enjoyed research so much until successfully completing Making a Difference in the Hispanic Community, and I know that this is just the first of many more successful research projects."

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