Abstract
Given the prevalence and morbidity of depression in later life, the inadequacies of current treatment approaches for averting years living with disability, the inequities in access to the mental health care delivery system, and the workforce shortages to meet the mental health needs of older Latinos, development and testing of innovative strategies to prevent depression and anxiety are of great public health significance and have the potential to change practice. The Happy Older Latinos are Active (HOLA) program is a community health worker–led, multicomponent, health promotion intervention.The diverse needs and circumstances of older Latinos (highly sedentary, culture-specific health beliefs, service disparities) were incorporated into the design of HOLA to reduce risk factors and improve health-related outcomes associated with common mental disorders in this group. Health promotion interventions like HOLA hold promise as effective, practical, and nonstigmatizing interventions for preventing common mental disorders in older Latinos.