Dataset Information

Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!): An Application of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7™ among Midwestern African-Americans.

ABSTRACT: African-Americans have a strikingly low prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health metrics of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7). This study was conducted to assess the impact of a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention intervention on the knowledge and achievement of cardiovascular health metrics among a marginalized African-American community.Adult congregants (n = 37, 70 % women) from three African-American churches in Rochester, MN, participated in the Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!) program, a theory-based, culturally-tailored, 16-week education series incorporating the American Heart Association's LS7 framework. Feasibility testing included assessments of participant recruitment, program attendance, and retention. We classified participants according to definitions of ideal, intermediate, and poor cardiovascular health based on cardiac risk factors and health behaviors and calculated an LS7 score (range 0 to 14) at baseline and post-intervention. Knowledge of cardiac risk factors was assessed by questionnaire. Main outcome measures were changes in cardiovascular health knowledge and cardiovascular health components related to LS7 from baseline to post-intervention. Psychosocial measures included socioeconomic status, outlook on life, self-reported health, self-efficacy, and family support.Thirty-six out of 37 recruited participants completed the entire program including health assessments. Participants attended 63.5 % of the education series and attendance at each session was, on average, 62 % of those enrolled. There was a statistically significant improvement in cardiovascular health knowledge (p < 0.02). A higher percentage of participants meeting either ideal or intermediate LS7 score categories and a lower percentage within the poor category were observed. Higher LS7 scores correlated with higher psychosocial measures ratings.Although small, our study suggests that the FAITH! program is a feasible, community intervention promoting ideal cardiovascular health that has the potential to improve cardiovascular health literacy and LS7 among African-Americans.

SUBMITTER: Brewer LC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5516637 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!): An Application of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7™ among Midwestern African-Americans.

Brewer LaPrincess C LC Balls-Berry Joyce E JE Dean Patrick P Lackore Kandace K Jenkins Sarah S Hayes Sharonne N SN

Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities 20160408 2

<h4>Objective</h4>African-Americans have a strikingly low prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health metrics of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7). This study was conducted to assess the impact of a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention intervention on the knowledge and achievement of cardiovascular health metrics among a marginalized African-American community.<h4>Methods</h4>Adult congregants (n = 37, 70 % women) from three African-American churches in Rochester, ...[more]

PMID: 27059054

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAfrican Americans continue to have suboptimal cardiovascular health (CVH) related to diet and physical activity (PA) behaviors compared with White people. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are innovative platforms to improve diet and PA and have the potential to mitigate these disparities. However, these are understudied among African Americans.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine whether an mHealth lifestyle intervention is associated with improved diet and PA-related psychosocial factors in African Americans and whether these changes correlate with diet and PA behavioral change.MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis evaluating changes in diet and PA-related self-regulation, social support, perceived barriers, and CVH behaviors (daily fruit and vegetable intake and moderate-intensity PA [MPA] per week) in 45 African American adults (mean age 48.7 years, SD 12.9 years; 33/45, 73% women) enrolled in the FAITH! (Fostering African American Improvement in Total Health) app pilot study. The intervention is a 10-week, behavioral theory-informed, community-based mHealth lifestyle intervention delivered through a mobile app platform. Participants engaged with 3 core FAITH! app features: multimedia education modules focused on CVH with self-assessments of CVH knowledge, self-monitoring of daily fruit and vegetable intake and PA, and a sharing board for social networking. Changes in self-reported diet and PA-related self-regulation, social support, perceived barriers, and CVH behaviors were assessed by electronic surveys collected at baseline and 28 weeks postintervention. Changes in diet and PA-related psychosocial factors from pre- to postintervention were assessed using paired 2-tailed t tests. The association of changes in diet and PA-related psychosocial variables with daily fruit and vegetable intake and MPA per week was assessed using Spearman correlation. Associations between baseline and 28-week postintervention changes in diet and PA-related psychosocial measures and CVH behaviors with covariates were assessed by multivariable linear regression.ResultsParticipants reported improvements in 2 subscales of diet self-regulation (decrease fat and calorie intake, P=.01 and nutrition tracking, P<.001), one subscale of social support for healthy diet (friend discouragement, P=.001), perceived barriers to healthy diet (P<.001), and daily fruit and vegetable intake (P<.001). Improvements in diet self-regulation (increase fruit, vegetable, and grain intake, and nutrition tracking) and social support for healthy diet (friend encouragement) had moderate positive correlations with daily fruit and vegetable intake (r=0.46, r=0.34, and r=0.43, respectively). A moderate negative correlation was observed between perceived barriers to healthy diet and daily fruit and vegetable intake (r=-0.25). Participants reported increases in PA self-regulation (P<.001). Increase in social support subscales for PA (family and friend participation) had a moderate positive correlation with MPA per week (r=0.51 and r=0.61, respectively).ConclusionsOur findings highlight key diet and PA-related psychosocial factors to target in future mHealth lifestyle interventions aimed at promoting CVH in African Americans.

Project description:In Philadelphia, 66% of new HIV infections are among African Americans and 2% of African Americans are living with HIV. The city of Philadelphia has among the largest numbers of faith institutions of any city in the country. Although faith-based institutions play an important role in the African American community, their response to the AIDS epidemic has historically been lacking. We convened 38 of Philadelphia's most influential African American faith leaders for in-depth interviews and focus groups examining the role of faith-based institutions in HIV prevention. Participants were asked to comment on barriers to engaging faith-based leaders in HIV prevention and were asked to provide normative recommendations for how African American faith institutions can enhance HIV/AIDS prevention and reduce racial disparities in HIV infection. Many faith leaders cited lack of knowledge about Philadelphia's racial disparities in HIV infection as a common reason for not previously engaging in HIV programs; others noted their congregations' existing HIV prevention and outreach programs and shared lessons learned. Barriers to engaging the faith community in HIV prevention included: concerns about tacitly endorsing extramarital sex by promoting condom use, lack of educational information appropriate for a faith-based audience, and fear of losing congregants and revenue as a result of discussing human sexuality and HIV/AIDS from the pulpit. However, many leaders expressed a moral imperative to respond to the AIDS epidemic, and believed clergy should play a greater role in HIV prevention. Many participants noted that controversy surrounding homosexuality has historically divided the faith community and prohibited an appropriate response to the epidemic; many expressed interest in balancing traditional theology with practical public health approaches to HIV prevention. Leaders suggested the faith community should: promote HIV testing, including during or after worship services and in clinical settings; integrate HIV/AIDS topics into health messaging and sermons; couch HIV/AIDS in social justice, human rights and public health language rather than in sexual risk behavior terms; embrace diverse approaches to HIV prevention in their houses of worship; conduct community outreach and host educational sessions for youth; and collaborate on a citywide, interfaith HIV testing and prevention campaign to combat stigma and raise awareness about the African American epidemic. Many African American faith-based leaders are poised to address racial disparities in HIV infection. HIV prevention campaigns should integrate leaders' recommendations for tailoring HIV prevention for a faith-based audience.

Project description:PURPOSE: To determine the effects of a 10-month secular (SEC) versus faith-integrated (FI) community-based physical activity (PA) intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors in low active, African-American women. METHODS: Participants (age: 55.4±11.6 years; body mass index (BMI): 36.0±7.9 kg/m2; average baseline steps/day: 3,807±1,250) from a larger study (n=418) participated in a sub-study to measure cardiometabolic disease indicators (primary outcomes) and PA (secondary outcomes) pre- and post-intervention (SEC: n=42; FI: n=43). Height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, resting blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, average steps/day, sedentary behavior, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were acquired at baseline and 10 months. Multivariate generalized linear mixed models that included churches as a random effect were used to compare mean changes in outcomes at 10 months between the two study groups (?=0.05). RESULTS: The FI group showed significant time effects for weight (93.4±2.4 to 92.2±2.3 kg), BMI (35.7±1.0 to 35.3±1.0 kg/m2), and waist circumference (106.9±2.2 to 103.8±2.5 cm), while the SEC group had a significant time effect for hip circumference (121.6±1.9 to 119.9±1.7 cm). There were no time effects in either group for blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, steps/day, sedentary time, or MVPA. FI significantly decreased LPA in both 1-minute activity bouts (641±13 to 588±16 minutes/day) and 10-minute bouts (536±11 to 479±15 minutes/day). There were no significant differences between SEC and FI for any variable. CONCLUSIONS: The improvements in body weight, BMI, and waist circumference shown after the FI intervention could have long-term implications on cardiometabolic health, particularly if exercise is continued. Further research is needed to examine the effects of culturally-relevant interventions on chronic disease indicators in African-American women, particularly those established as high risk for cardiometabolic disease.

Dataset Information

Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!): An Application of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7™ among Midwestern African-Americans.

Publications

Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!): An Application of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7™ among Midwestern African-Americans.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure