Introduction:
Modifying lifestyle behaviors is a key method for controlling hypertension. This strategy is extremely important for hypertensive Black Americans, as they are more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure (BP), have a higher risk of complications, and poorer outcomes. To address this need, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce BP through lifestyle modification that was delivered by lay health advisors in Black churches. The Faith-based Approaches in the Treatment of Hypertension (FAITH) trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week faith-based lifestyle intervention and subsequent 3-month motivational interviewing vs. health education control on BP reduction among hypertensive Black adults. This study examines the change in lifestyle behaviors during the trial from baseline to 6 months.
Methods:
We recruited 373 Black Americans with uncontrolled hypertension from 32 urban churches. BP was considered to be uncontrolled if systolic BP (SBP)≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP)≥90 mmHg, or DBP≥130 mmHg or DBP≥80 mmHg for participants with self-reported diabetes or kidney disease The primary outcome was within-participant change in BP from baseline to 6 months. Lifestyle data collected included the NCI fruit/vegetable intake screener and % calories from fat screener, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), medication adherence, and measured height and weight.
Results:
Participants’ mean age was 63.4 y, 76.4% were female, and 96.1% reported being of African descent. The mean BMI was 32.1 kg/m2. At 6 months, the intervention was associated with significant reduction in SBP but not DBP compared with the control group (-16.0 mmHg vs -10.3 mmHg, p=0.017). There was no significant change in number of servings of fruits and vegetables consumed, minutes walked per day, or weight for either group. However, the intervention group had a slight but significantly greater decrease of 1.08 % calories from fat over time compared with the control (p=0.018), but that change was not related to change in SBP. Most notably, there was a significant months x treatment interaction on medication adherence the intervention group had a greater decrease in non-adherence score than the control (-0.84 vs -0.30, p=0.28). This improvement in adherence was related to decrease in SBP (p=0.019).
Conclusion:
Community-based lifestyle modification program led to significantly reduced systolic BP; and this intervention effect was mediated by improved medication adherence. However, the 12-week intervention resulted in little change in key diet and physical activity behaviors found in other trials to positively affect BP.
Controlled Evaluation of a Physical Activity Intervention for Senior School Students: Effects of the Lifetime Activity Program
