Black-American adults are at greater risk of hypertension, and their children have higher cholesterol values, than other ethnic groups. Diet and exercise behaviors have been linked to these risks. Despite these increased risks in Black-Americans, few diet and exercise behavior change programs have been targeted for them as well as their families. While there is little reason to believe that Black-Americans consume foods which are qualitatively different from those of other ethnic groups, some data suggests they consume more low nutrient density foods and they do have a distinct culture which must be taken into account in designing intervention programs. We have designed a 23 session CVD related diet and exercise behavior change intervention for use with Black-American families with 5th or 6th grade children. The evening sessions are conducted over the course of a year and focus on skill development and enhancement and behavior management. A concurrent Family Fitness Center program focuses on enabling conditions for aerobic activity. Both components are based on the latest social learning and social support theory concepts and techniques. The program will be evaluated by taking behavioral and physiological measures before, midway, at the end and a year after the end of the intervention program. A local Community Advisory Committee exists to adapt the program to the needs and tastes of our Black-American community. Our staff has experience in five community based heart disease prevention related studies which demonstrates our ability to work with the local Black-American community and to conduct the research as proposed.
