Results from the goodnews (Genes, Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness, and Spiritual Growth) faith and health program for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in African-American congregations

PURPOSE: Significant disparities persist in the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and major risk factors based on race and ethnicity; the NIH supports risk factor reduction as the most desirable strategy for reducing CVD morbidity and mortality in high-risk populations. METHODS: The GoodNEWS Program is a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project among twenty – eight (28) African-American congregations in Dallas, Texas. The partnership has existed for more than ten (10) years with significant community input and engagement. We recently completed a 3-year randomized NHLBI-funded study, testing the effectiveness of our CBPR partnership on changing eating behavior and increasing physical activity. RESULTS: Baseline data from October 2008 (N=392) indicate that most GoodNEWS participants are overweight (18.7%) or obese (67.3%), and almost one-half (48.3%) have metabolic syndrome. Participants have substantially higher levels of diagnosed disease compared to CDC national averages for African-American: heart disease (9.3% vs. 6.1%), diabetes (15.3% vs. 11.8%), high cholesterol (36.3% vs. 14.5%), and high blood pressure (47.5% vs. 31.6%). Eating a diet high in saturated fat was related to being overweight or obese (p<.0001), and being overweight or obese was associated with diabetes (p<.01) and hypertension (p<.0001). At follow-up the intervention group had significant reductions in food energy intake (kcal) at 18 months (p=.01) and 36 months (p=.003). A sustained caloric reduction of -520 kcal at 36 months is very promising. CONCLUSION: The GoodNEWS program demonstrates that a strong community partnership can contribute to reducing CVD risk among African-American adults in the community-congregation setting.