American journal of preventive medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Health for Hearts United Longitudinal Trial: Improving Dietary Behaviors in Older African Americans.
Church-based interventions have been shown to improve the dietary health of underserved populations, yet few studies have examined sustainability of health behavior change over time. This paper examines dietary outcomes over a 24-month period (baseline and 6, 18, and 24 months) for fruit and vegetable and fat consumption behaviors of African-American participants in the Health for Hearts United church-based intervention in North Florida. ⋯ Dietary behaviors of mid-life and older African Americans can be improved and sustained over 24 months using a church-based heart health intervention, with similar improvements noted for both comparison and treatment participants.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Active Children Through Individual Vouchers Evaluation: A Mixed-Method RCT.
Physical activity declines in adolescence, especially among those in deprived areas. Research suggests this may result from accessibility barriers (e.g., cost and locality). The Active Children Through Individual Vouchers Evaluation RCT aimed to improve the fitness and heart health of teenagers in Wales with the help of teenagers who co-produced the study. ⋯ Active Children Through Individual Vouchers Evaluation identified methods that may have a positive impact on cardiovascular fitness, cardiovascular health, and perspectives of activity. Consulting with teenagers, empowering them, and providing more local opportunities for them to take part in activities that are fun, unstructured, and social could positively impact teenage physical activity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A Social Networking and Gamified App to Increase Physical Activity: Cluster RCT.
Appealing approaches to increasing physical activity levels are needed. This study evaluated whether a social and gamified smartphone app (Active Team) could be one such approach. ⋯ A gamified, online social networking physical activity intervention did not change objective moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, though it did increase self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and achieve high levels of engagement. Future work is needed to understand if gamification, online social networks, and app-based approaches can be leveraged to achieve positive behavior change.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Long-term Results From the FRESH RCT: Sustained Reduction of Children's Tobacco Smoke Exposure.
Standard care interventions to reduce children's tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) may not be sufficient to promote behavior change in underserved populations. A previous study demonstrated the short-term efficacy of an experimental counseling intervention, Family Rules for Establishing Smokefree Homes (FRESH) compared with standard care on boosting low-income children's TSE reduction and maternal smoking at 16-week end of treatment (EOT). This study tested long-term posttreatment efficacy of this treatment through a 12-month follow-up. ⋯ Study results with a sample of underserved maternal smokers demonstrated that the short-term effect of FRESH counseling at 16-week EOT was maintained through 12 months after treatment-for both bioverified child TSE reduction and maternal smoking cessation. Smokers in low-income communities demonstrate elevated challenges to success in standard smoking treatment. FRESH follow-up results suggest the high potential value of more-intensive behavioral intervention for vulnerable smokers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Health Center-Based Community-Supported Agriculture: An RCT.
Socioeconomically vulnerable individuals often face poor access to nutritious food and bear a disproportionate burden of diet-related chronic illness. This study tested whether a subsidized community-supported agriculture intervention could improve diet quality. ⋯ A community-supported agriculture intervention resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in diet quality. Subsidized community-supported agriculture may be an important intervention for vulnerable individuals.