This application addresses broad Challenge Area (09): Health Disparities and specific Challenge Topic 09-MD- 101: Creating Transformational Approaches to Address Rural Health Disparities. HOPE Accounts for Women is an innovative intervention approach to address obesity among low-income minority women in rural North Carolina. Obesity and poor health exist in the context of social and economic determinants, such as education and employment, which influence hope and empowerment to make life changes. In the economically depressed areas of rural North Carolina, structural changes to improve social and economic conditions are needed to have a lasting impact on health. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), matched savings accounts for low-income individuals, provide financial assistance for a microenterprise, further education, or home ownership and have been shown to increase feelings of confidence about the future and economic security. The HOPE Accounts for Women intervention is designed to address the social and economic factors that contribute to rural health disparities. The program is participatory and community-led. The Community Advisory Committee was instrumental in planning HOPE Accounts for Women and will oversee its implementation in the communities. Community members will be trained to lead HOPE Accounts Circles of 8- 12 low-income, overweight women. During the first month of the intervention, Circles will provide participants with an IDA training, after which each participant will open an IDA and begin saving money toward reaching a personal goal. In the remaining six months, Circles will provide social support, teach strategies for weight management, and address financial literacy and strategies for moving out of poverty. Participants will receive monthly tailored health newsletters providing individualized information and strategies to achieve targeted health behavior changes and financial goals. A rigorous evaluation will assess obesity, socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and psychosocial factors among HOPE Accounts for Women participants compared to participants in an intervention providing generic health and financial planning information. Minorities in rural North Carolina suffer disproportionately from obesity and associated health conditions. Social and economic factors underlie these rural health disparities. The proposed structural intervention aims to improve health among low-income minority women by providing financial support through Individual Development Accounts in conjunction with information and social support needed to pursue financial and health goals.
Minorities in rural North Carolina suffer disproportionately from obesity and associated health conditions. Social and economic factors underlie these rural health disparities. The proposed structural intervention aims to improve health among low-income minority women by providing financial support through Individual Development Accounts in conjunction with information and social support needed to pursue financial and health goals.
