You Gotta Walk the Walk to Talk the Talk: Happy Older Latino Adults (HOLA) as a pilot health promotion and prevention program for older HIV-positive Latino men

Abstract Background Older Latinos with HIV have been disproportionately affected by the epidemic and experience compounded health disparities that have deepened over time. These health disparities are largely related to lifestyle and are either preventable or amenable to early detection or intervention. Despite existing resources to deliver an intervention to reduce this compounded health disparity, there is little information on the effects of health promotion interventions on indices of cardiometabolic risk in midlife and older Latinos with HIV. The Happy Older Latinos are Active (HOLA) intervention is an innovative health promotion program that is uniquely tailored to meet the diverse needs and circumstances of older Latinos with HIV. The goal of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of HOLA among Latinos aged 50 and older with HIV. Methods/Design: HOLA, which is informed by Behavioral Activation and Social Learning theory is a community health worker (CHW)-led, multicomponent, health promotion intervention consisting of: (1) a social and physical activation session; (2) a moderately intense group walk led by a CHW for 45 minutes, 3x/week for 16 weeks; (3) pleasant events scheduling. The proposed pilot study will recruit and enroll 18 community dwelling Latinos with HIV aged 50+. Participants will be assessed at three time points (baseline, post intervention, and 3 months post intervention) on measures of cardiometabolic risk factors (waist circumference, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and glucose), psychosocial functioning, and health-related quality of life. Conclusions If HOLA can be delivered successfully by CHWs, then the scalability, accessibility, and potential for dissemination is increased. Additionally, the results of this pilot study have far reaching implications in regard to the health and welfare of other at-risk, under resourced populations. This pilot study will inform feasibility and identify modifications needed in the design of a larger hypothesis testing study.