Find in Library

Introduction and Objectives: Food insecurity is involved in the most important health problem worldwide: the rise in non-communicable diseases. It affects populations in poor countries and disadvantaged populations in affluent countries. Lifestyle improvement strategies are often costly and only effective in the short term. Our aim is to demonstrate that an educational program on a healthy lifestyle which increases health literacy could improve long-term health and mitigate food insecurity. Methods: This work will conduct a 24-month intervention to improve cardiovascular health, measured by the Life’s Simple 7 criteria, in vulnerable families (460 individuals) at risk of food insecurity. It entails initial training through workshops (basic intervention model) followed by randomization into three groups: (1) no further intervention; (2) a traditional advanced intervention model every 3 months; and (3) an e-learning advanced intervention model every 15 days with YouTube videos or WhatsApp/text message. In a next step, we will explore if the lifestyle intervention improve families’ food insecurity score according to the criteria established by the Food and Agriculture Organization and measured by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Finally, we will analyze which of the two advanced intervention models, either face to face or virtual, are more effective at improving cardiovascular health and food literacy. Conclusions: If this type of program – not very complex or costly – has favorable effects, it could be proposed as a model for improving these populations’ state of vulnerability. The E-DUCASS program aims to use this strategy to improve cardiovascular health in vulnerable populations in a scientific, efficient,safe, and sustainable manner.