Promoting Health in the Hispanic Community - Evaluation of a Mentoring Program Between a School of Medicine and a Hispanic Community

Oct 15, 2026

In 2016, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine collaborated with the Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan Hispanic La Casa Amiga Outreach program to pair medical students with mentors for local Hispanic youth. The study evaluated changes in mentees’ behavioral and social skills, satisfaction, program impact reported by mentees and their parents, and knowledge retention from health-education sessions. Using BERS-2 pre- and post-program measures, results showed significant gains in interpersonal strength, family involvement, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, and affective strength. Both mentees (N=45) and parents (N=38) reported high satisfaction, and assessments indicated increased understanding of covered health topics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Health disparities and health literacy among Hispanic communities

Community–academic partnerships and youth mentoring

Research gap for medical-student-led mentoring

Program evaluation methods and outcomes

Promoting Health in the Hispanic Community: Evaluation of a Mentoring Program Between a School of Medicine and a Hispanic Community Pallavi Kenkare, Elizabeth Seeley, Kimberly Anyadike, Mallory Peters, Helen Huetteman, and Claudio Cortes Abstract In 2016, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine collaborated with the Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan Hispanic La Casa Amiga Outreach program (CCSEM-LCA) to create a program through which medical students are paired to mentor local Hispanic youth from an underserved community. We assessed the program’s effect on mentees’ behavioral and social skills, evaluating satisfaction and program impact among mentees and their parents, and assessing the mentees’ knowledge retention from the program’s health education sessions. Using the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale, 2nd Edition (BERS-2) questionnaire before and after the program, we observed significant improvements in mentee interpersonal strength, family involvement, intrapersonal strength, school functioning, and affective strength. Additionally, both mentees (N = 45) and parents (N = 38) reported high levels of satisfaction, and pre-and postsession assessments indicated increased understanding of the health topics covered. Keywords: community partnership, medical education, mentoring program, community service, Hispanic children I n the United States the Hispanic population has grown rapidly and is projected to comprise nearly 28% of the population by 2060 (NoeBustamente et al. , 2020; Zong, 2022) . This population’s rapid growth highlights the urgency of addressing health disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic communities. For example, in 2018, Hispanic Americans were 1.2 times more likely to be obese, 70% more likely to have diabetes, and Hispanic women were 40% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than their non-Hispanic counterparts (National Center for Health Statistics, 2021) . Social and educational disparities further compound these issues; research links race and associated differences in health literacy to health disparities (Berkman et al. , 2011) . Health literacy is defined as the ability of an individual to competently contend with the “complex demands of promoting and maintaining health” within modern society (Liu et al. , 2020) . In 2003, 41% of Hispanics (21 million persons) had below basic levels of health literacy (Kutner et al. , 2007) . In addition, in 2022, 27% of Hispanic adults held an associate degree or higher, compared to 45% of White adults (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023, Table 1-2, Table 1-6) . Health disparities often emerge early, particularly among Hispanic youth, children with limited English proficiency, and those who speak a language other than English at home (Flores et al. , 2005) . For instance, Hispanic children are less likely than non-Hispanic White children to receive routine wellness and preventive dental care (Langellier et al. , 2016) . They also face elevated risks for conditions such as obesity and depression (Rossen & Schoendorf, 2012), along with delayed diagnoses of attention deficit disorder (Berry et al. , 2010) and autism spectrum Vol. 30, No. 1—Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement 86 disorder (Mandell et al., 2009). Thus, experts suggest that interventions could take a “lifecourse” approach, beginning with health maintenance and educational interventionsin childhood, to help mitigate disparities as children transition into adulthood (Thornton et al. , 2016) . An intervention could be provided in the form of partnerships between community organizations and academic institutions focused upon addressing gaps in the health maintenance and education of Hispanic youth. It has been shown that community–academic partnerships can lead to beneficial outcomes for students, associated community organizations, and institutions of learning (Nora et al. , 1994; Voss et al. , 2015) . Within this article, we specificall

FAQs

What mentoring program was evaluated in this study?

A mentoring program pairing medical students with Hispanic youth from an underserved community, delivered through a partnership between a school of medicine and a Hispanic community outreach organization.

How were mentee outcomes measured before and after the program?

Outcomes were assessed using the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale, 2nd Edition (BERS-2) questionnaire administered before and after the program.

What results did the study find regarding satisfaction and behavioral or social skills?

Both mentees and parents reported high satisfaction, and BERS-2 results showed significant improvements across multiple areas including interpersonal strength, family involvement, school functioning, and affective strength.

Oct 15, 2026

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