New Study by CHPPR Researchers Assesses Nutrition and Chronic Disease Needs and Assets in Paso del Norte Region

Researchers at the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, led by Juan Aguilera, MD, PhD, MPH, are performing a four-month, multi-component needs assessment on nutrition and chronic disease in El Paso, Doña Ana County/Las Cruces, Hudspeth County, and Ciudad Juárez. The assessment is funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation in order to guide their future investments in nutrition and chronic disease prevention in the region.

“The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has a long history of collaboration with our members at UTHealth Houston,” said Aguilera, Assistant Professor at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Director of the Community Health Impact Projects (CHIP) in El Paso. “We’re excited that they not only want to continue that partnership, but that they are invested in encouraging and supporting upcoming investigators. Our team is committed to producing a rigorous, community-centered assessment that will meaningfully guide the foundation’s investments in nutrition and chronic disease prevention across the Paso del Norte region.”

Established in 1995, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation (PdNHF) funds health promotion and disease prevention efforts in the Paso del Norte region of Texas and New Mexico. PdNHF selected the team at UTHealth Houston to conduct a regional needs assessment to inform efforts to expand healthy eating and nutrition to mitigate and manage chronic disease in the region.

The assessment aims to identify nutrition-related chronic conditions that offer the greatest opportunities for measurable improvement, gaps in existing programs, workforce, and infrastructure, feasible strategies for both short- and long-term improvements, and the availability of regional partners and assets.

Over four months, researchers will perform a number of evaluations and assessments in the region, including:

• An epidemiological scan focusing on cancer and chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, obesity, and kidney disease;
• An assessment of nutrition-related assets and workforce to determine what work is already being done by agencies, clinics, and other organizations;
• A benchmarking review comparing national evidence-based nutrition models with programs previously deployed in the region and developing locally relevant best practices;
• A literature review on nutrition, chronic disease, and emerging AI applications;
• A community scan of regional food environments and daily nutrition realities;
• Development of a regional, cross-sector coalition framework to support a future regional initiative on healthy eating for the prevention and management of chronic diseases; and
• Development of presentation materials to summarize key findings and recommendations.

Once complete, the needs assessment will inform PdNHF’s ongoing efforts to build a new coalition to improve health outcomes in the Paso Del Norte region.