The San Diego Family Health Project tests the effectiveness of a family- based cardiovascular risk reduction intervention targeting dietary and physical activity changes in Mexican American and Anglo families (N=623). Analyses at the 24-month variables. Numerous cognitive, behavioral, and physiological data are being collected on adults and children at 0,3.12,24,36, and 48 months. There has been an ongoing commitment to data quality. The current funding period allows only three months for data analysis after data collection ceases, and this is barely time to clean the data set. The investigators have been productive in using this data set, and funds are requested to provide the resources to analyze the full four years of data.
Four specific aims highlight the most important questions that can be appropriately addressed using this unique data set. 1. The long-term (four years) effectiveness of the family health promotion intervention will be determined for Mexican-American and Anglo families. Different patterns of change (e.g., relapse, delayed change) will also be examined. 2. Family variables will be studied in relation to risk factor and behavior change. One analysis will assess family aggregation of change over four years, and the second analysis will explore differences in intervention response between traditional and nontraditional families. 3. Predictors of change in health behaviors and risk factors will be studied. Predictors of behavior change will be studied with multiple regression and competing models of change will be studied using structural equation modeling. 4. Covariation among specific variables over time will be examined. The particular questions of interest are relations between diet and physical activity changes and behavioral mediators of CVD risk factor changes over four years. Funds requested will provide investigator, staff, and computer support to achieve these aims. While some of these issues could be addressed with new studies, it is more cost-effective to support analyses of this valuable longitudinal data set.
