Effectiveness of a Colonia Educational Intervention

Abstract

Assessment of the effectiveness of community-based health promotion programs is an essential component of accountability for both providers and funding agencies. The purpose of this study was to compare, in a colonia setting, the effects of an educational intervention for 7- to 12-year-old Hispanic children. The constructs of self-esteem and health locus of control were used as indices to compare differences between intervention participants and nonparticipants. Discriminate analysis revealed that powerful others’ locus of control, self-esteem, chance locus of control, and age distinguished intervention participants from nonparticipants. Results showed that the intervention positively affected self-esteem and influenced acceptance of responsibility for one’s own health.