Metro State’s Human Nutrition and Dietetics Program has taken a major step toward keeping up with the needs of Latinos in Colorado.

“The Latino population in the U.S. is growing and it’s an underserved population concerning health care," says Professor of Nutrition Cindy Heiss.

The program has received a $260,000 USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant that will be used to enhance cultural competency regarding the Latino population among human nutrition and dietetics majors. Cultural competency is important for nutrition students who need to understand food traditions, health issues and the Spanish language to better serve the growing Latino population, Heiss says.

The project includes the development of a certificate program in collaboration with Metro State’s Chicana/o Studies Department, a cultural immersion program in Mexico and a plan to recruit Latino students to the human nutrition and dietetics major.

The Latino population is at higher risk for diabetes, obesity and heart disease. However, according to Heiss, the population often does not get adequate help with these problems because of a language barrier when trying to learn about proper nutrition from a dietitian who speaks English only, or because typical therapeutic diets do not include traditional foods from the culture.

By developing a Latino culture immersion program alongside the certificate program, students will increase their Spanish language skills and learn about the Latino culture so that they can be more effective in providing nutritional care to this population. The immersion program in Mexico will be open to students and professionals from across the country.

The project also includes the development of a plan to recruit Latino students to the human nutrition and dietetics major. This aspect of the grant complements Metro State’s goal of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI), says Heiss, adding that only 3 percent of registered dietitians are Latino, and few dietitians speak Spanish. A study will be conducted to determine why Latinos do or do not consider dietetics as a career, and a specific recruitment plan will be developed from the results.

“Our students can be educated to be more culturally aware so they can better meet the needs of the Latino population,” Heiss says. “The ultimate goal of this project is improve the nutritional care of the Latino community.”