Givaudan, M., Barriga, M., García, G., Valdez, I. & Silver, C.

Martha Givaudan, Marco Barriga, Georgina García, Itzel Valdez, Cory Silver. School-Based Life Skills Program to Reduce Psychosocial Barriers to Achieving Child Nutrition and Obesity Prevention. American Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 9, No. 5, 2020, pp. 131-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20200905.11

Childhood obesity is a critical and growing public health crisis across the world, with implications ranging from the development of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, which has been especially revelant in recent months due to the associated risk with COVID-19 recovery, to psychosocial consequences such as low self-esteem. Habits pertaining to diet and exercise may affect a child’s risk of becoming obese, with consumption of processed foods or a lack of physical exercise as risk factors. The objective of this study was to implement a school-based progam in two cities in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, with the goal of preventing the development of childhood obesity through building life skills, gaining knowledge, and reducing psychosocial barriers to adopting a healthier lifestyle. Teachers were trained in workshops which prepared them to facilitate life skills, reduce psychosocial barriers and disseminate information through interactive activities with their fourth and fifth grade students, as well as engage in conferences with parents to review similar content regarding healthy practices. Results showed a statistically significant increase in the teacher’s role as a health promoter in the classroom, compared with a no treatment group (F1,74=4,302, p=0.042, η2=0.57), an increase in knowledge about diabetes and health care, as well as increased capability in taking care of their own diet (F1,74=6.103, p=0.006, η2=0.937). Students’ results in the treatment group showed a significant effect in knowledge about the healthy portion size of various types of food including the importance of daily consumption of vegetables (F1,1596=4.033, p=0.045), a significant decrease in consumption of junk food and sodas (F1, 1593=7.074, p=0.008), and a significant decrease in drinking soda (F1,1593=6.618, p=0.010), compared with a no treatment group. Parents increased their knowledge of maintaining healthy eating habits and the importance of exercise as well as their self confidence to promote healthy habits in the family. These results demonstrate the success of the implementation of this comprehensive model based on life skills and intrinsic empowerment in encouraging behaviors as well as emotional and physical habits that reduce risk of childhood obesity, although long-term tracking of indicators such as body mass index (BMI) are needed to determine the efficacy of the program over an extended period of time.

Givaudan Martha, Barriga Marco, Kercheval Jacquelyn & Pick Susan

(2016) "Children left behind by migration: training their caretakers", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 12 Issue: 3, pp.170-184, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-09-2014-0036

Abstract: Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to present a sustainable, community-based action model to improve the care and protection of children between the ages of zero and eight years who have been left behind due to migration. One facet of the program is to train community leaders to teach an experiential program to facilitate and increase the likelihood of the development of life habits in children, caretakers, teachers, mothers, and fathers that will improve the caretaker-infant relationship. Design/methodology/approach. Community leaders were evaluated via a pre-training questionnaire and a post-training questionnaire. Findings. The evaluation of the training of the community leaders revealed the following statistically significant results: an increase in the level of a number of life habits, which include self-awareness, management of emotions, empathy, assertive communication, decision-making, critical thinking, conflict negotiation and resolution, and teamwork; a reduction in the degree to which psychosocial barriers hinder personal development; an increase in the level of autonomy and self-efficacy; an increase in the level of knowledge that participants have about the topics of the workshops: child development, child-rearing and academic potential, as well as migration; and positive changes in the attitudes that they have regarding certain topics related to child development. Originality/value. The program was conducted in Hidalgo, Mexico, a state whose high rates of migration put the children at greater risk for developmental delays if they lack adult support.

Pick Susan & Hieatanen Anna-Amilia

(2015). “Psychosocial Barriers as Impediments to the Expansion of Functionings and Capabilities: The Case of Mexico”. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities: A Multi-Disciplinary Journal for People-Centered Development, DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2014.959906

Social norms can enable or limit development. The focus of this paper is on how psychosocial barriers limit functionings and capability development in Mexico. As far as individuals make such barriers their own, they go from being external to being internal; that is, they go beyond being social norms to becoming personal ones. As social norms become personal norms, they can become either barriers or opportunities for change. In fatalistic and tight societies such as Mexico, pressure to conform to "what will happen anyway" and to external norms and expectations is strong. This makes it easier to adopt such barriers than to expand one's functionings and capabilities and thus become an agent of change. In other words, it is more comfortable and practical to continue being a subject rather than an agent of chanege. The consequence is the apparent and accepted state of affairs of neither oneself nor others enabling the development of personal agency. It is through experiential workshops based on facilitating cognitive, emotional and social skills, and knowledge in health, education, citizenship and productivity that freedoms can be expanded in such a way that psychosocial barriers are reduced and that individuals change behaviors so as to become agents of change.

Pick Susan & Givaudan Martha

(2013). “Una nueva mentalidad”. México Social [Social Mexico]. 2 (37), pp. 26-29.

Cuando hablamos de "cambio de mentalidad" podría estar implícito que percibimos nuestra cultura, valores y hasta nuestra esencia como algo negativo y por lo tanto algo que debemos cambiar...no va por ahí el asunto. Veamos.

Givaudan Moreno Martha, Romero Angélica, Barriga Dávila Marco A.

(2012) "Efecto del programa ´Yo quiero, yo puedo... tener éxito en la escuela´ en la transición de Primaria a Secundaria en Escuelas Rurales del Estado de Chiapas". Psicología da Educação, São Paulo, 34, 1o sem. de 2012, pp. 186-208.

Las habilidades para la vida son definidas como las competencias necesarias para el desarrollo de conductas adaptativas y positivas que permiten a los individuos tener un manejo efectivo de las demandas y retos de la vida cotidiana favoreciendo el desarrollo de conductas saludables y el bienestar. Incluir en el curriculum, de manera sistemática, dichas habilidades contribuye a la motivación y permanencia escolar. Se desarrolló, instrumentó y evaluó el programa “Yo quiero, yo puedo... tener éxito en la escuela”. Participaron maestros y 1300 alumnos(as) de 6o grado de escuelas seleccionadas al azar como grupo experimental (N= 601) y grupo control (N = 699) en la región rural de Las Margaritas, en el Estado de Chiapas. Se realizó una evaluación pre-post a los alumnos y visitas de acompañamiento a los docentes. Se observa un incremento las habilidades para la vida tales como autoconocimiento, responsabilidad, organización, así como motivación por el estudio en los participantes. Además el 87% incrementó su promedio escolar, ingresó y permaneció en secundaria, mientras que en el grupo control el porcentaje de alumnos que se inscribieron en secundaria fue de 68%. A pesar del reconocimiento de las habilidades para la vida y competencias psicosociales, la inclusión de este enfoque en los currículos de educación básica ha sido muy limitada. Integrar este componente de manera sistematizada y formal contribuye al éxito escolar y prevención de deserción tan necesaria en comunidades marginales; la permanencia escolar es un factor protector para otros riesgos psicosociales entre ellos adicciones y violencia.

Pick Susan, Beers Kimberly & Grossman-Crist Shoshana

(2011). "A Human Basis for Sustainable Development: How Psychosocial Change at the Individual Level Promotes Development". Poverty & Public Policy: Vol. 3, Article 8, 1-20.

Sociocultural and economic limitations often deprive individuals of the freedoms to make decisions regarding their lives, hindering development. This article presents the Framework for Enabling Empowerment (FrEE), a model that emphasizes the importance of psychosocial factors and the individual in accessing freedoms and promoting health, productivity, and sustainable human development. FrEE is theoretically based in Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. Explaining the synergy between the context, the person, and psychosocial factors, FrEE provides a strategy to achieve the expansion of individual choice and freedoms. The authors present FrEE and its relationship to Sen’s theories and explain how FrEE makes the Capability Approach operative. Finally the authors draw on empirical program evaluations in Mexico to discuss FrEE’s potential impact on the field of human development.

Pick Susan, Leenen Iwin, Givaudan Martha & Prado Andrea

(2010). "Yo quiero, yo puedo…prevenir la violencia”: Programa breve de sensibilización sobre violencia en el noviazgo. Revista Salud Mental, 33(2), pp. 153-160.

La violencia en el noviazgo es un tema reciente en la investigación científica, cuya incidencia en personas jóvenes va de 22 a 33%. Aún cuando hay evidencias de mujeres que agreden a sus parejas masculinas y también existe violencia entre parejas del mismo sexo, la violencia de pareja sigue siendo predominantemente de control del hombre hacia la mujer. La incidencia de este tipo de violencia y sus consecuencias físicas, emocionales y sociales señalan la necesidad de crear programas de prevención en poblaciones jóvenes. Sin embargo, también debe tomarse en cuenta que en muchas escuelas no existe aún la disposición o los recursos para ofrecer talleres de prevención de larga duración enfocados a esta problemática. Por ello, resulta imperioso contar con estrategias breves que lleven a largo plazo a cambios de conductas en los jóvenes. El primer paso para lograr la prevención es la sensibilización en torno a esta problemática, lo cual permite empezar un proceso de cambio de normas sociales sobre el tema. El programa "Yo quiero, yo puedo...prevenir la violencia: Programa breve de sensibilización sobre violencia en el noviazgo" se desarrolló, instrumentó y evaluó con el objetivo de sensibilizar e incrementar la información que tienen las y los jóvenes sobre los antecedentes culturales y de género relacionados con la violencia en el noviazgo y sus consecuencias a nivel físico, emocional y social.

Pick Susan, Givaudan Martha & Reich R. Michael

(2008). "NGO-Government partnerships for scaling up: sexuality education in Mexico". Development in Practice, 18(2), pp. 164-175.

Governments in developing countries need effective programmes to advance public policies and improve social welfare. NGOs often have well-tested programmes and research outcomes that are relevant to such needs, yet the scaling up of pilot programmes to national level is difficult to achieve and frequently unsuccesful. This article presents a case of succesful scaling up for an adolescent sexual-health and psychosocial-competencies programme in Mexico, through an NGO-government partnership involving IMIFAP, a Mexican NGO. The case illustrates how and NGO can create a successul partnership with government to scale up effective programmes. in ways that meet key needs of the target population while protecting the NGO´s core values.