Engaging Latinas in their Preconception Health

Amor y Salud Amor y Salud is a preconception health campaign targeting Latinas of reproductive age and their providers in southern Oregon. *Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 2006 Latinos make up 9% of Oregon population, and 16% of births.

Why target Latinas: Latina Paradox Latina women who have recently immigrated tend to experience better birth outcomes than the U.S. average even though they frequently receive late and/or poor prenatal care. But, these positive birth outcomes among Latinas erode with subsequent generations. This is known as the Latina or Hispanic Paradox.

12 episode radionovela that aired from October through December, 2010 on English and Spanish radio stations Social Marketing Campaign Image: The campaign consisted of: Facebook and website component Posters, postcards, and educational materials for Latinas and their health care providers

Objectives To counter effects of acculturation and produce better birth outcomes for first-generation Latinas in Oregon, the campaign encourages: 1. Preservation of traditional Latino culture that emphasizes family support, traditional diet and physical activity. 2. Addressing personal issues (e.g. exercise, alcohol use, smoking) 3. Taking a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid daily. 4. Obtaining appropriate medical care (e.g. vaccines, chronic conditions)

Development of the Campaign: Crafting a Culturally Relevant Message Formative Research Advisory Group Creative Development

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Evaluation: Overview Web survey— to evaluate the recall and reaction to the web component of the campaign among online viewers of the campaign web page and radionovela episodes. Intercept survey— to evaluate reach, recall and reaction within one of the target counties Provider survey— to evaluate the awareness of the campaign and the effectiveness and utility of educational materials targeting providers

Evaluation: Results Learning objectives Web SurveyIntercept survey Target Latinas Target Relatives Others Target Relatives Others Heard any episodes of Amor y Salud93.1%98.7%82.1%40.0%30.6% Learned new information from the campaign 48.2%55.4%68.2%66.7%50.0% Talked about the campaign with friends or relatives 92.3%94.5%73.6%33.3%40.0% Provider survey Web and Intercept Survey 57% had seen the posters and postcards Of those who had viewed the Powerpoint presentation, half felt that it had given them new information about preconception health and the effect on acculturation on health in the Latino community

For more information Women's Health Program Office of Family Health Oregon Health Authority 800 N.E. Oregon St. Suite 825 Portland, Oregon D/OFH/Pages/index.aspx Julie McFarlane, MPH Women's Health Program Manager Lesa A. Dixon-Gray, MSW, MPH Project Coordinator Behavior Works 534 SW 3rd Ave Suite 415 Portland, OR Stefanie Murray, MPH Women's Health Program Prevention Specialist Barbara Pizacani, PhD, RN Program Design and Evaluation Services Epidemiologist