Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Sandra Soto, who has received a K01 award of over $660K from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities for her grant titled: “Optimizing a dyadic physical activity intervention for Hispanics with osteoarthritis and their physical activity supporter.”
Dr. Soto uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the social influences of physical activity and dietary intake among Hispanic individuals. By incorporating Hispanic cultural values, Dr. Soto aims to develop effective behavioral modification interventions to prevent and manage chronic diseases. This particular project aims to develop and utilize culturally sensitive interventions for hispanic patients with osteoarthritis to improve health behaviors and relieve symptoms.
According to Dr. Soto and her colleagues, “Hispanics are less likely to meet physical activity guidelines and those with osteoarthritis are more likely to report greater joint pain, functional limitations, and work limitations than non-Hispanic Whites. Among Hispanics, social and cultural factors are important intervention considerations because of the value placed on interdependence over independence in traditional Hispanic culture. It is hypothesized that culturally sensitive physical activity interventions designed for Hispanics offer potential to reduce disparities in physical activity and therefore osteoarthritis symptoms.”
This 5-year project will run through February 2025. Total funding is $666,235.
Team members are listed below.
Principal Investigators
Sandra Soto – School of Nursing
Primary Mentor
Leigh Callahan – School of Medicine
Co-Mentors
Christine Rini – Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University
Linda Collins – Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University
Deborah Tate – Department of Health Behavior at UNC Chapel Hill
Scientific Advisors
Diane Berry – School of Nursing
Todd Schwartz – School of Nursing
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Award Number 1K01MD015290-01, Soto (PI) 7/30/20–02/28/2025, Funding: $666,235. “Optimizing a dyadic physical activity intervention for Hispanics with osteoarthritis and their physical activity supporter.”