Health promotion behaviors of Mexican-American adults participating in a Promotoras project

The purpose of the descriptive study was to provide a comparison of the number of health promoting behaviors of the "Promotoras" project group with a group of prospective project members who have not had the educational intervention. The Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) instrument and a demographic information sheet were administered to a convenience sample of Promotoras project participants and prospective clients of the same program before intervention. The independent variables of culturally competent basic health care education, assistance with access to economic and social resource programs, and the personal social support of Promotoras personnel were assessed. The dependent variable of the two groups was the number and type of health promotion behaviors. The study results contributed to the knowledge about health promoting behaviors in Mexican-American adults in the southern Texas/New Mexico area and support the effectiveness of the Promotoras teaching project.