Change in Nutrition Behavior After Participating in an Obesity-Related Cancer Education Program in El Paso, Texas - Background, Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusion

Sep 22, 2026

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Study evaluates whether participating in Pasos Para Prevenir Cancer (PPPC), an obesity-related cancer education program, changes participants’ nutrition behaviors in El Paso, Texas. Adults received culturally tailored, theory-based education. Of 256 participants completing baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys, analyses used Food Frequency Questionnaire data to assess dietary change and perceived dietary barriers as moderators. Results show most participants sustained improved intake of healthier foods and shifted toward low-fat options, fruits, and vegetables, with decision-making influenced by perceived health risk.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Abstract

Background

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

| Change in Nutrition Behavior After Participating in an Obesity-Related Cancer Education Program in El Paso, Texas. | Cancer Control Volume 31: 1–7
© The Author(s) 2024
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[DOI: 10.1177/10732748241261567](DOI: 10.1177/10732748241261567)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/10732748241261567)[journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx](journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx)

| | --- | --- | | Mary Miller, MS 1, Roy Valenzuela, MS2 􀀁, and Jennifer J. Salinas, MSW, PhD2
Abstract
Background: Roughly 25% of the U.S-Border city, El Paso, Texas is obese. Obesity is a major risk factor for 13 cancers. Cancer is the leading cause of death in El Paso. Therefore, there is a growing urgency to implement evidence-based programs that support behavioral change that helps curb the impact of obesity in El Paso and the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an obesity-related cancer prevention program (Pasos Para Prevenir Cancer (PPPC) on changes in participant nutrition behaviors.
Methods: Culturally tailored, theory-based education was provided to adults through the PPPC program. A total of 256 PPPC participants agreed to take part in our program evaluation. Participants were asked to complete a survey at baseline and 6 months after they completed the program. Session included topics on obesity-related cancers, assessing your obesity risk, measuring body fat, SMART goal setting, and how to ﬁnd the right type of physical activity. For this report we used the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) data to assess changes between baseline and six months. We also used perceived dietary barriers as moderators on the relationship between program participation and nutrition behaviors.
Results: Most participants (92.2%) identiﬁed as being of Mexican American descent, were between the ages of 41-75 years of age (n = 165) and identiﬁed as females (n = 225). 48.1% of the participants were born in Mexico while 50.4% were born in the U.S. Approximately 35-51% of participants improved and sustained their intake of healthier foods at 6 month follow up. Speciﬁcally, there was a statistically signiﬁcant shift from higher fat and sugar content foods to light and low-fat foods, and fruits and vegetables. Participants also increased their consumption of ground chicken, lean red meat, and seafood. A key modiﬁer in this relationship is perceived health risk.
Conclusion: Latinos on the U.S.-Mexico border ascribe to a healthy living mindset. In general, they frequently eat fruits and vegetables. Participation in PPPC increased perceived barriers to healthy living around cost and convenience and enhanced decision-making around healthier options. Participants responded to our adapted evidence-based program resulting in sustained changes in nutrition behaviors. Using adapted evidence-based strategies developed outside of the U.S.-Mexico border region is a feasible approach to address persist health disparities.
Keywords
nutrition, cancer, education, outreach, evidence-based, Mexican Americans
Received January 26, 2024. Received revised May 16, 2024. Accepted for publication May 10, 2024. | | | 1 L. Frederick Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, USA 2Department of Social Work, College of Health Sciences, The University of Texas at EL Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
Corresponding Author:
Jennifer J. Salinas, MSW, Ph.D., Department of Social Work; 500 University Ave, El Paso, TX 79968-0559, USA. Email: [jsalinas7@utep.edu](jsalinas7@utep.edu) | | Creative Commons CC BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provide

FAQs

What program was evaluated to improve nutrition behaviors?

The study assessed Pasos Para Prevenir Cancer (PPPC), an obesity-related cancer prevention and education program delivered to adults in El Paso, Texas.

How were nutrition behavior changes measured over time?

Participants completed surveys at baseline and 6 months after finishing the program, and the study used Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) data to assess changes between time points.

What did the study find about dietary improvements after PPPC participation?

Most participants sustained improvements in healthier food intake and showed a statistically significant shift from higher-fat and higher-sugar foods to lighter and low-fat foods, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Sep 22, 2026

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