202462 Evaluation of a community-based intervention to address heart disease and diabetes risk among men of color in Cambridge, MA

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Shalini Tendulkar, ScD , Institute for Community Health, Cambridge, MA
Omonyele Adjognon, ScM , Institute for Community Health, Cambridge, MA
Sandra Williams, SM , Institute for Community Health, Cambridge, MA
Menal Jham, BA , Institute for Community Health, Cambridge, MA
Claude-Alix Jacob, MPH , Cambridge Public Health Department, Cambridge, MA
Marsha D. Lazar, LICSW , Cambridge Public Health Department, Cambridge, MA
Albert Pless, MS , Cambridge Public Health Department, Cambridge, MA
Barbara Kibler , Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House, Cambridge, MA
Sharon Maher , The Cambridge Family YMCA, Cambridge, MA
Elisa Friedman, MS , Department of Community Affairs/Institute for Community Health, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA
In 2007, three institutions in the city of Cambridge joined forces to

address the disproportionate burden of chronic diseases in the

community. The goal of this partnership between the Cambridge Public

Health Department, the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House and the

Cambridge Family YMCA is to reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular

diseases and stroke among men of color in Cambridge since data clearly

showed racial disparities in these areas. The partners created The Men's

Health League, a program of education, nutrition and physical activity

interventions which has successfully engaged over 90 men of color to: a)

increase their knowledge about men's health, physical activity and

nutrition; b) increase their engagement in physical activity and healthy

eating; c) help them to better navigate the healthcare system; and d)

identify and train grass-roots leadership around men's health. A

community-based participatory evaluation was used to gather qualitative

and quantitative data. This session will include a) a discussion of one

approach for constructing a community participatory evaluation in a

community setting, b) challenges and lessons learned from using a

community based participatory evaluation to collect data in a community

setting, and c) present preliminary data on changes in nutritional

habits, physical activity patterns and men's health knowledge, changes

in clinical indicators (e.g. cholesterol) and qualitative feedback from

the subject participants in the Men's Health League program.

Learning Objectives:
1. Discuss potential ways to use community-based participatory research methods and principals to collect data on health and healthcare disparities among men of color. 2. Discuss challenges associated with implementing a community-based participatory research evaluation in a community setting. 3. Describe the quantitative and qualitative impact of a community intervention on a group of men of color in Cambridge, MA.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the lead evaluator for this project and have provided leadership on methodology, instrument development, analysis and dissemination of results. I also have a doctorate of science in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative methodologies. I have also participated in numerous community-based participatory research projects and have gained skills which inform this work. Finally, I have presented at numerous previous APHA meetings and at other conferences, on a range of topics including health disparities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Community-Based Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Poster Session
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