141st APHA Annual Meeting

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293938
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

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Mark J. DeHaven, PhD , Texas Prevention Institute (TPI), University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX
Jenny Lee, PhD, MPH, CHES , Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX
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.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention

Learning Objectives:
Describe a community-based participatory research approach to reducing cardiovascular risk in the African-American faith setting.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Adult Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a full tenured professor and have been principal investigator on numerous NIH grants.
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.