Lifestyle behavior modification assessment among Black women in Atlanta following a community health screening intervention Public

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States (U.S.), yet awareness of heart disease risk is alarmingly low, particularly among women from minority groups. Key modifiable CVD risk factors, such as diet, physical activity, and weight, are often underrecognized. Community-engaged CVD prevention interventions have demonstrated success but remain underutilized due to their narrow focus and the challenges of sustaining community partnerships. Thus, we sought to assess whether a one-time educational intervention delivered during a community screening event will lead to measurable improvements in weight, physical activity, and dietary habits among Black women at six months post-screening. Additionally, we investigate whether these effects are influenced by socioeconomic factors such as income, insurance type, and education level. At the community screenings, participants self-reported CVD comorbidity risks and had risk factors weight, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure measured on-site measured by volunteer healthcare workers. These volunteers counseled participants on the most salient risk factors identified. Participants were then contacted six months post-screening by phone by the same volunteers to see if they had made lifestyle changes, including weight loss, diet improvement, and increase in weekly exercise. A total of 209 participants completed follow-up, and while socioeconomic factors as collected did not significantly impact behavior changes, overall, nearly half of participants reported CVD risk-mitigating behavior six months post-screening, thus providing confidence that community health screenings with tailored counseling and follow-up invoke meaningful behavior change.

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 6

Methods 7

Results 10

Discussion 12

Tables 16

References 23

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Clinical Research
Degree	M.S.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery
Mot-clé	community initiative social determinants of health cardiovascular disease
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Amita Manatunga, Emory University
Committee Members	Modele O. Ogunniyi, Emory University Puja K. Mehta, Emory University

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