Design of Culturally and Linguistically Tailored Nutrition Education Materials to Promote Healthy Eating Habits among Pakistani Women Participating in the PakCat Program in Catalonia

Abstract

(1) Background: Pakistani women are among one of Catalonia’s most affected groups by obesity and cardiovascular disease. The design of health education strategies for them has become a compelling need. This paper aims to enlighten the elaboration and evaluation procedure of culturally and linguistically tailored nutrition education materials for Pakistani women participating in the PakCat Program, which aims to evaluate the efficacy of a nutrition education strategy allowing the participants to become ambassadors of healthy eating habits for their community. (2) Methods: In this Randomised Control Trial (RCT), 137 Pakistani women (70 from the intervention and 67 from the control group) took part. We conducted 10 sessions for the intervention group and 3 sessions for the control group in the form of small groups. The sessions were conducted in Urdu and Punjabi, and the material was translated into Urdu, Catalan, Spanish and English. For some sessions, we elaborated on new materials and for others, we adapted them from the existing nutrition material in aspects of language and culture. We evaluated the nutritional material from the observation carried out by the dietician who developed the sessions, participants’ feedback at the end of the sessions and a satisfaction questionnaire. (3) Results: We summarised the elaborated material in form of two multilingual nutritional guidelines about portion size and heart-healthy foods. We also registered several materials generated for the PakCat program such as an infographic about myths and beliefs related to food, a booklet to read and interpret the food labels, a recipe book for healthy snacks, and an infographic of 10 tips for healthy eating. We also organised a PhotoVoice exhibition of 70 healthy plates elaborated by the intervention group participants. The participants highly appreciated the material in terms of visualization, cultural and linguistic adequacy, and level of comprehension through all three evaluation methods. (4) Conclusions: The design of culturally and linguistically tailored nutrition education material for Pakistani women living in Catalonia is attainable and effective to meet their specific needs. The healthy dietary recommendation can be adapted to them preserving their traditional dietary pattern, and they acquire the confidence to start following a healthy diet.