Introduction:
Older African-Americans (AA) are vulnerable to cardiometabolic health disparities. As physical inactivity is highly prevalent in this population and regular exercise can help mitigate cardiometabolic disease, collaborations between the local community and academic researchers are needed to create sustainable exercise interventions. To this end, the current investigators formed a community advisory board (CAB) to consult on an interdisciplinary pilot intervention study that would examine the effects of couples-based resistance training plus walking on: 1) exercise adherence; 2) cardiometabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen); and 3) the provision of partner support and receptivity to partner health influence in older AA romantic couples.
Hypothesis:
CAB consultation would enhance the proposed pilot study methods and facilitate community engagement.
Methods:
Seven local community members/leaders with a stake in the health of the AA community were invited to participate in two CAB meetings. In the meetings, investigators proposed ideas to pilot a novel exercise intervention in older AA couples and solicited input in four key areas: 1) priority health concerns of the target population; 2) the proposed study protocol; 3) cultural relevance; 4) and sustainability. Recorded responses were summarized and coded using a qualitative thematic analysis approach.
Results:
Multiple themes surfaced within each of the four focus areas including confirmation of the need to study cardiometabolic disease risk (e.g. hypertension, diabetes) in this population, potential recruitment challenges and suggestions to relax exclusion criteria, exclusion of potentially beneficial program components (e.g. flexibility training, education), the need for culturally-specific adaptations (e.g. incorporating music, providing AA role models), and long-term community engagement (i.e. future efforts to launch the intervention at the community level). Investigators made multiple study modifications per CAB recommendations.
Conclusions:
CAB feedback suggested the proposed intervention would be well-received and considered both beneficial and relevant by the community. CAB-recommended study modifications underscore the value of a community-partnered approach to intervention design that promotes cultural relevance and sustainability. These characteristics support the ultimate goal of reducing cardiometabolic health disparities in AA communities. Although the investigators recognize the current method deviates from true community-based participatory research that originates within a community, the model presented is beneficial as it engages the community in the developmental stage of evidence-based research.
Building and Sustaining a Community Advisory Board of African American Older Adults for Volunteer Research
