title: A lifestyle approach to reducing cardiovascular risk factors in underserved women: design and methods of the Illinois WISEWOMAN Program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few lifestyle intervention programs address the needs of financially disadvantaged, low literacy populations. The overall goal of the Illinois WISEWOMAN Program (IWP) was to design such a program and test its effectiveness in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, specifically physical activity and nutrition factors. The purpose of this paper is to describe the IWP study design and methods, development of the evidence-based curriculum appropriate for a low socioeconomic status (SES) population, and baseline characteristics of IWP participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Cooper Institute, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the University of Illinois at Chicago, adapted evidence-based interventions for financially disadvantaged, low literacy populations. The study used a randomized, two-group, experimental design. In total, 1021 women were recruited from the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, which serves uninsured and underinsured women, aged 40-64, at or below 200% of poverty. The women were randomized to either a minimum intervention (MI) or an enhanced intervention (EI) group. Both groups received CVD risk factor screening and educational materials. Additionally, the EI group received a 12-week lifestyle intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline comparisons show equivalent groups. IWP participants had a higher prevalence of obesity and smoking than similar national samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IWP addressed many of the cultural and implementation barriers in programs that seek to improve the health of financially disadvantaged, low literacy populations. Because of the high burden of disease, the unique study population, and the sound design, we anticipate that our future results will contribute to the translation literature, which has largely ignored significant health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Women and Gender, National Center for Excellence in Women's Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois 60608, USA. mkhare1@uic.edu
authors.forename: Manorama M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Khare
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Ruth Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: Pamela W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Balmer
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Kristen N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Nolen
authors.forename: Heather K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Rose M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lattyak
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cursio
authors.forename: Ryan K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Loo
authors.forename: Rosanne P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Farris
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Will
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D008875:Middle Aged; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*