222574 Walk Your Heart to Health: Early findings and lessons learned from a community-based participatory research intervention to reduce cardiovascular inequalities

Monday, November 8, 2010

Amy J. Schulz, PhD MPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Barbara A. Israel, DrPH , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Sharon Sand, MPP , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Gregoria Diaz , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Cindy Gamboa , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Bernadine Hoston , Detroit Center, Detroit, MI
Baraka Johnson , Department of Health Behavior and Heatlh Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Detroit, MI
Zachary Rowe , Friends of Parkside, Detroit, MI
Deedee Varick, LND MPH , University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Sachiko Woods, BA , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Walk Your Heart to Health (WYHH) is part of a multilevel, evidence-based intervention designed to promote racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health equity by supporting walking groups in low-to moderate-income predominantly African-American and Hispanic urban neighborhoods.. WYHH is an 8 month Community-Health Promoter (CHP)-led walking group program based at faith- and community-based organizations, developed and implemented using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) process. Intervention objectives include: promoting health equity through sustained walking, and engaging community organizations in supporting walking groups. WYHH uses a lagged design to allow comparison of change for intervention and lagged intervention groups. The WYHH evaluation assesses both process and impact of the walking groups. Data includes: pre and post surveys (psychosocial and anthropometric indicators), participant observation, pedometer steps, and attendance records. We present results from the process and impact evaluation for the first cohort of WYHH (n=132). Process evaluation results include: participation, group dynamics, CHP leadership, social support, and challenges and facilitating factors to sustained walking. Impact evaluation results include: change over time in walking (pedometer steps), and anthropometric indicators of cardiovascular risk. Insights from CHPs will be incorporated into the presentation, with a particular focus on strategies used to address challenges within the walking groups. We will discuss implications of our findings for practice to improve health justice, with particular attention to lessons learned regarding CBPR partnerships' efforts of to promote physical activity in predominantly African-American and Hispanic low-and moderate income urban communities.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the evidence base and community-based participatory process underlying the use of walking groups to promote physical activity and reduce inequitable cardiovascular risk in low-to moderate-income urban communities. 2. Describe the rationale for use of a lagged intervention design to evaluate change over time in physical activity among walking group participants 3. Identify the role of community health promoters and a broader Steering Committee of engaged organizations in the development, implementation and evaluation of walking groups, toward the end of achieving cardiovascular health equity. 4. Identify potential challenges and facilitating factors in the development, implementation and evaluation of a CHP-facilitated walking groups based in community and faith based organizations, and lessons learned regarding strategies to promote walking in low-to moderate-income urban communities.

Keywords: Community Health Promoters, Physical Activity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the PI for the project that will be described in this presentation, and have been involved in all aspects of the work presented.
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.

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