Mobile Health Technology Can Objectively Capture Physical Activity (PA) Targets Among African-American Women Within Resource-Limited Communities-the Washington, D.C. Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment

S Thomas; L Yingling; J Adu-Brimpong; V Mitchell; C R Ayers; G R Wallen; M Peters-Lawrence; A T Brooks; D M Sampson; K L Wiley Jr; J Saygbe; J Henry; A Johnson; A Graham; L Graham; T M Powell-Wiley

doi:10.1007/s40615-016-0290-4

Mobile Health Technology Can Objectively Capture Physical Activity (PA) Targets Among African-American Women Within Resource-Limited Communities-the Washington, D.C. Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment

J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2016 Dec 2:10.1007/s40615-016-0290-4. doi: 10.1007/s40615-016-0290-4. Online ahead of print.

Authors

S Thomas¹, L Yingling², J Adu-Brimpong¹, V Mitchell², C R Ayers³, G R Wallen⁴, M Peters-Lawrence⁵, A T Brooks⁴, D M Sampson⁶, K L Wiley Jr⁷, J Saygbe², J Henry⁸, A Johnson⁹, A Graham⁹, L Graham⁹, T M Powell-Wiley¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Office of Intramural Training and Education, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
² Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 5-3340, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
³ Donald W. Reynolds Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
⁴ Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁵ Division of Intramural Research - Hematology Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁶ Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁷ Division of Genomic Medicine, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
⁸ Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
⁹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, Howard University, Washington, DC, 20059, USA.
¹⁰ Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 5-3340, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. tiffany.powell-wiley@nih.gov.

Abstract

Background: Little is understood about using mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve cardiovascular (CV) health among African-American women in resource-limited communities.

Methods: We conducted the Washington, D.C. CV Health and Needs Assessment in predominantly African-American churches in city wards 5, 7, and 8 with the lowest socioeconomic status based on community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. The assessment measured CV health factors: body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose and cholesterol, blood pressure, fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake, physical activity (PA), and smoking. Participants were trained to use a PA monitoring wristband to measure 30 days of PA, wirelessly upload the PA data to hubs at the participating churches, and access their data from a church/home computer. CV health factors were compared across weight classes.

Results: Among females (N = 78; 99 % African-American; mean age = 59 years), 90 % had a BMI categorized as overweight/obese. Across weight classes, PA decreased and self-reported sedentary time (ST) increased (p ≤ 0.05). Diastolic blood pressure and glucose increased across weight classes (p ≤ 0.05); however, cholesterol, glucose, and BP were near intermediate CV health goals.

Conclusions: Decreased PA and increased ST are potential community intervention targets for overweight and obese African-American women in resource-limited Washington D.C. areas. mHealth technology can assist in adapting CBPR intervention resources to improve PA for African-American women in resource-limited communities.

Keywords: Cardiovascular health disparities; Obesity; Women; mHealth technology.

Abstract

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