12 JEAN MAYER USDA HUMAN NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER ON AGING 2016 PROGRESS REPORT 13 Promoting successful active aging in minority populations through community settings AARP research has found that 97% of Chinese Americans desire to stay physically fit as they age. The Healthy Habits Program (HHP) was implemented in Boston to provide a community-based physical activity and education for Chinese older adults in the area. Researchers in our Nutrition, Exercise, Physiology and Sarcopenia Lab did a collaborative evaluation of the program to see if the outcomes of the program were in fact beneficial to the older Chinese community involved. After 6 months in the program, meaningful improvements were seen in the mobility and cognition as well as executive function, depression and perceived disability. Knowing that promoting successful aging in minority populations through community settings works, we are equipped with a powerful tool to reduce ethnic health disparities in the US. Hau. C., et al. J Nutr Health Aging. Collaborative Evaluation of the Healthy Habits Program: An Effective Community Intervention to Improve Mobility and Cognition of Chinese Older Adults Living in the U.S. 2016 Apr;20(4):391-7. “It is never too late to make smart changes in your diet. Shifting towards healthier food choices can improve symptoms or decrease risk for developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease – all of which are more common in older than younger adults.” – Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory