Past Projects

Y Living

The Y Living project, funded by the Cancer Research Prevention Institute of Texas (CPRIT), is testing a community-based program that builds healthy lifestyles to reduce cancer risk. The evidence-based, 12-week program, known as “Y Living,” uses a community-based, family-focused approach to promote physical activity, a balanced diet and increased awareness of a healthy lifestyle on cancer risk reduction. The program provides health education to YMCA members and uses text messages to enroll and motivate participants.


This study used a community-based participatory research approach to identify and understand factors that influence physical activity behavior for Mexican immigrant women in South Carolina and Texas.

This study used a community-based participatory research approach to identify and understand factors that influence physical activity behavior for Mexican immigrant women in South Carolina and Texas.


This assessed knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about nutrition and exercise among low-income Hispanic women older than 40 in Houston.

This assessed knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about nutrition and exercise among low-income Hispanic women older than 40 in Houston.


The Impact of Breast Cancer on the Hispanic Family

This psychosocial study targeted the impact of breast cancer on the Hispanic family and its quality of life, with findings that reveal specific impacts on family members and Hispanics’ interests in genetic testing.


Texas Cancer Genetics Consortium: Education and Outreach Work Group

Texas Cancer Genetics Consortium: Education and Outreach Work Group This project helped develop communication functions, such as Web sites and newsletters, for the activities of the Cancer Genetics Network.


Survivorship: Improving Mind and Physical Activity (IMPACT)

Improving Mind and Physical ACTivity (IMPACT) tests how different types of exercise—like yoga—best improve cancer survivors’ fitness, quality of life and molecular indicators of future cancer risk.


Survivorship: Exercise Behaviors in Latina Survivors

This project tests whether Latina cancer survivors who receive a culturally tailored exercise intervention will be more likely to initiate/maintain exercise behaviors than Latinas who do not get the intervention.


Special Interest Project II: Latinos in a Network for Cancer Control

This established a Cancer Prevention and Control Network for Texas and surrounding states along the Texas-Mexico Border with a focus on eliminating cancer-related health disparities among Latinos.


Sin Fumar: Preventing Tobacco Use Among Border Youth

This aimed to prevent and reduce tobacco use among youth in grades 6-12 in Laredo, Texas, utilizing peer role models and behavioral journalism in a smoking prevention model.


Screening: Using Promotoras for Cancer Education

Salud San Antonio! tests the use of community health workers (promotoras) to deliver cancer education to increase screening rates and knowledge of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer among Latinas living in high-risk areas on San Antonio’s West and South sides.


Salud America! Promoting Health for Latino Kids

Salud America! Promoting Health for Latino Kids Salud America! leads the nation in creating culturally relevant multimedia research, tools, and stories to fuel people to start and support policy, system, and environmental changes in schools and communities to improve Latino child health, reduce disparities, and promote lifelong well-being.


SALSI Miranós Early Childhood Intervention

This intervention tested whether it is possible to indoctrinate early-childhood students—for life—with healthy habits via positive interactions with their parents, daycare teachers and other school workers.


SALSI Health Disparities Research Forum

This forum brought together San Antonio-area researchers to stimulate interests and opportunities for future collaboration and communication on health disparities. Forums were held in 2008 and 2011.


Rx for Better Breast Health

Rx for Better Breast Health is a study to teach breast cancer survivors how certain foods may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence.


Replication of A Su Salud En Acción

This project replicated a prior project’s breast and cervical cancer prevention and control efforts among Latinos, with an ultimate goal of increasing the number of Hispanic women who seek the services of the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.


Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network

First funded from 2000 as this Special Population Network of the National Cancer Institute and then re-funded in 2005 and 2010, Redes developed a national infrastructure of academic centers, community and federal partners and local and regional health professionals, civic leaders and researchers to stimulate cancer control research, awareness and training.


Recruiting into Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinical Trials

This study used a community health worker/patient navigator to increase recruitment of children from Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley into clinical trials.


Quitxt: Bilingual Quit-Smoking Text Messaging Service

Quitxt is a free service on your phone with text messages and online support in English or Spanish to help South Texas young adults quit smoking for good.


Psychosocial Study of Breast Cancer Survivorship and Genetic Testing

This study sought to identify key psychosocial variables that influence effective communication of breast cancer risk information and genetic screening among members of Hispanic families with hereditary breast cancer.


Preventing Tobacco Use in Young Latino Workers in Texas Project

This developed a program of mass media, peer networking, and Internet communications to reduce tobacco use among young, non-college-enrolled Latino workers at high risk for tobacco use.


Overcoming Barriers to Early Phase Clinical Trials (EPCT): Increasing EPCT Accrual in South Texas

This studied the cultural, economic and structural barriers to early-phase clinical trial participation faced by patients and oncologists, and developed an interventional trial to reduce those barriers.


Nutrition and Exercise Start Today (NEST)

The IHPR is testing the hypothesis that exposure to a clinic-based obesity management strategy, Nutrition and Exercise Start Today (NEST), will prevent excess weight gain among obese pediatric patients in a large rural pediatric practice in New Braunfels, Texas.


Nuestras Historias: Mujeres Latinas Sobreviviendo el Cáncer del Seno

This bilingual book tells the story of 26 South Texas who describe the Latina breast cancer experience and culturally relevant coping skills in their own words. The book was produced by Redes En Acción.


National Hispanic Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NHLIC): En Acción

This was the first comprehensive assessment of cancer risk factors among the major populations of Latinos and developed Latino-focused state-of-the-art cancer prevention and control strategies.


Multi-Cultural Tobacco Media and Community Control Studies in Texas

This investigated and evaluated the processes and effects of media, peer networking, and education and policy activities to reduce smoking among the state’s white, Mexican American and African American middle- and high-school students.


Mass Media Intervention to Reduce Youth Smoking: Message Development Using Audience Research

This developed TV and radio advertisements to help youths avoid or quit smoking cigarettes and increase the effectiveness of mass media campaigns that target youth tobacco control.


Improving Physical Activity among Latina Girl Scouts

The “Be Fit with Friends” intervention gives Latina Girl Scouts ages 11-14 options—from basic fitness equipment like jump ropes to volunteer opportunities to online social media, fitness video games and text messaging—to overcome barriers to physical activity in San Antonio.


Hispanic/Latino Genetics Community Consultation Network (HLGCCN)

Hispanic/Latino Genetics Community Consultation Network (HLGCCN) This sought to increase Latino participation in genetics research by pilot-testing a participatory model of community consultation among a sample of representatives of U.S. Latinos to identify, prioritize, and disseminate information on genetics issues.


Heart Healthy and Ethnically Relevant Lifestyle

This evaluated the efficacy of combining a theory-based, community health care center-based behavioral counseling intervention with telephone counseling and tailored print materials to promote a low-fat diet and physical activity among financially disadvantaged African American women.


Health4Kids (H4K) Intervention Trial for Hispanic Families

The IHPR has launched a five-year, $2.9 million obesity management program that uses family counseling, text messages and newsletters to control weight and spark healthier eating and physical activity habits in obese/overweight Latino kids.


Genetic Testing for Latina Breast Cancer Risk

This study examined how genetic counseling impacts awareness, perceptions, and decision-making about genetic among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites.


Genetic Evaluation for Breast Cancer Susceptibility in South Texas

This study examined how genetic counseling impacts awareness, perceptions, and decision-making about genetic among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites.


Entre Familia: Educating Hispanic Adolescents and their Families on Cervical Cancer and HPV Vaccination

Entre Familia: Educating Hispanic Adolescents and their Families on Cervical Cancer and HPV Vaccination The “Entre Familia” program offers health education about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer prevention and provides help for people to schedule and remember vaccination appointments for girls and boys ages 11-17 in South Texas.


Enlace: A Promotora-Led Physical Activity Study for Latinas in Texas

The IHPR is designing, implementing and evaluating a promotora-led physical activity intervention that takes a comprehensive, multi-level, community-based approach to promoting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among a particularly underserved segment of Latinas in South Texas.


Enlace: A Partnership to Promote Physical Activity Among Mexican Immigrant Women

Enlace: A Partnership to Promote Physical Activity Among Mexican Immigrant Women This study used a community-based participatory research approach to identify and understand factors that influence physical activity behavior for Mexican immigrant women in South Carolina and Texas.


Buena Vida! Protecting Your Family from Breast Cancer

These magazines used 24-page bilingual magazines to educate Hispanic communities about cancer issues and raise awareness about prevention and control activities that are intended to reduce the burden of cancer among Latinos.


Buena Vida! Magazine Evaluation and Cancer Genetics Network (CGN) Recruitment Study

This evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally sensitive bilingual magazine and interpersonal communication in recruiting Hispanic participants in the Texas Cancer Genetics Network.


Breast Cancer: Testing Video-Based Clinical Trial Recruitment

The study hypothesizes that Latinas who receive an interactive, technology-infused communications intervention will increase self-efficacy and informed decision-making to enter breast cancer clinical trials.


A Su Salud

Part of a larger study called Programa A Su Salud, this project studied and demonstrated the effectiveness of mass media health messages using culturally relevant role models from the low-income community of Eagle Pass, Texas.


A Patient Navigator Intervention

This Pfizer-funded study aimed to use patient navigation to improve breast and cervical abnormality treatment outcomes among Latinas.


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