African American elders with hypertension are a high risk group as reflected in their high morbidity and mortality rates. Research is needed to identify ways to help them reduce risk behaviors and to maintain and/or improve their physical and psychosocial functioning. The purpose of this three year longitudinal study is to develop and test a health promotion intervention to reduce the risk of hypertension in African American elders (AAE) as measured by changes in dietary and exercise behaviors.
Specific aims are to: (1) compare the short and long term effects of health promotion intervention with and without a social support component; (2) examine the effect of the intervention of self efficacy on stages of involvement (transtheoretical stages of change) in dietary and exercise activities. The total sample will consist of 240 AAE who have hypertension and live in public housing (CHA). The intervention will consist of an educational and skills component, contracting and social support groups. The experimental conditions will vary on the degree of intensiveness, ranging from a low intensity intervention (lecture discussion, skills, contracting) to a high intensity intervention (the latter components and social support groups). Three groups will be studied at baseline and at three followup points separated by 3 months intervals. There will be two cycles of the experimental intervention; each cycle will last for 12 months. Different subjects will be used in the second cycle. Data collected include demographics, hypertension/illness history, hypertension knowledge, self efficacy (expectation and outcomes), transtheoretical stages of change, dietary and exercise behavioral data and physiological data (blood pressure and weight). Analysis will consist of MANOVA and multiple regression to determine the effect of the intervention on exercise and dietary behaviors and to examine relationships between variables and differences between groups.
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