The Journal of Primary Prevention, Vol. 25, No. 4, December 2004 ( C  2004) Effects of Lay Health Educator Interventions on Activity, Diet, and Health Risks in an Urban Mexican American Community Mary A. Nies, 1,2 Nancy T. Artinian, 1 Stephanie Myers Schim, 1 Jillon S. Vander Wal, 1 and Shirley Sherrick-Escamilla 1 The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if there was a difference in phys- ical activity, diet, or health risks following health promotion sessions provided to healthy Hispanic adults through a “train-the-trainer” lay health educator pro- gram. A one-group pre-post design was used to examine whether lay health ed- ucation interventions had a significant impact on self-reported physical activity, dietary habits, and health risk status. As part of a larger study, 127 Hispanic adults were recruited through a large Roman Catholic parish in Southwest Detroit. Lay health educator (LHE) volunteers were trained to provide education to other mem- bers of the community on ways to increase daily physical activity, promote healthy eating, and increase awareness and control of high blood pressure. Baseline mea- surements for the outcome variables of physical activity, diet, and health risks were collected by the LHEs at each session. Follow-up data were collected during a 2-week period 5 months after the last education session. A total of 17 complete data sets with pre and post-test data were identified and analyzed. Community participants showed increases in health risk awareness and leisure time physical activity. Implementation of the lay health educator within this community was suc- cessful in enhancing positive health behaviors. Ramifications for future research and necessary modifications to increase effectiveness and feasibility are discussed. Editors’ Strategic Implications: This article includes the following strategy that shows promise. This pilot study describes an attempt to develop, implement, and evaluate a community-based intervention designed to promote healthy be- haviors among Mexican American adults in one urban community. This work is relevant to public health and community development practitioners; the authors 1 College of Nursing, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. 2 Address correspondence to Mary A. Nies, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.H.B., Wayne State Uni- versity, College of Nursing, 5557 Cass Avenue, Suite 319, Detroit, Michigan 48202; e-mail: m.nies@wayne.edu. 441 0278-095X/04/1200-0441/0 C  2004 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.