Health promotion for low-income minority groups: The challenge for nutrition education

Because black- and Hispanic-Americans and other minority groups in the US bear a disproportionate burden of chronic disease risk, federal leaders have called for development of health promotion campaigns directed to these groups. In response, programs to reduce chronic disease risks among minority populations have been developed in communities throughout the country. Several of these programs focus on dietary change as a key area of intervention. In this article, we review the rationale for creation of these programs and describe two programs in New York City that have been initiated to improve the diet of low-income black and Hispanic residents of areas characterized by especially high rates of chronic disease. Because development of these programs has presented challenges, we discuss the kinds of resources needed to improve our ability to meet these challenges and to encourage the work of nutrition educators committed to working with low-income multi-ethnic populations.