Dr. Sonja J. Meiers, Professor, Winona State University-Rochester, United States, is co-investigator in a five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, United States (R01 HL111407) entitled “Healthy Immigrant Families: Working Together To Move More and to Eat Well “ (Co-P.I.s: Sia, I. G., Nigon, J. A., & Wieland, M. L.). Rochester Healthy Community Partnership (RHCP), Rochester, MN, a group of academics and community members who use community-based participatory research methods to improve health, worked together to develop the study approach. Community members from the Hispanic, Somali, and Sudanese communities worked within RHCP to develop the sustainable, socio-culturally appropriate intervention. Bilingual community Family Health Promoters (FHPs) have been trained to deliver the intervention. The intervention is a home-based, individualized family mentoring and education session series for physical activity and healthy eating. Dr. Meiers has been integrally involved in the family-based intervention development and training of the FHPs. The efficacy of the intervention will be evaluated by using a two-group, immediate and delayed group, randomized design, to assess individual’s (including both adults and adolescents) physical activity and dietary change, and a number of biometrics before and after the intervention. Further information about this and other projects of RHCP is available at http://rochesterhealthy.org/website/. Watch an IFNA YouTube video of Dr. Meiers talking about her research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2nMBRC0ps.
Dr. Sonja Meiers served as the President of IFNA from 2019-2021 and developed the following important statements on behalf of IFNA:
- Racism and Family Health
COVID-19 Pandemic and Family Nursing: IFNA President and President-Elect Offer a Message to Members
For more information, contact IFNA member, Sonja Meiers: [email protected]
