Churches as targets for cardiovascular disease prevention: comparison of genes, nutrition, exercise, wellness and spiritual growth (GoodNEWS) and Dallas County populations.
BACKGROUND
We compared cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (CVRFs) of community-based participatory research (CBPR) participants with the community population to better understand how CBPR participants relate to the population as a whole.


METHODS
GoodNEWS participants in 20 African-American churches in Dallas, Texas were compared with age/sex-matched African-Americans in the Dallas Heart Study (DHS), a probability-based sample of Dallas County residents. DHS characteristics were sample-weight adjusted to represent the Dallas County population.


RESULTS
Despite having more education (college education: 75 versus 51%, P< 0.0001), GoodNEWS participants were more obese (mean body mass index: 34 versus 31 kg/m(2), P< 0.001) and had more diabetes (23 versus 12%, P< 0.001) and hyperlipidemia (53 versus 14%, P< 0.001) compared with African-Americans in Dallas County. GoodNEWS participants had higher rates of treatment and control of most CVRFs (treated hyperlipidemia: 95 versus 64%, P< 0.001; controlled diabetes: 95 versus 21%, P< 0.001; controlled hypertension: 70 versus 52%, P= 0.003), were more physically active (233 versus 177 metabolic equivalent units-min/week, P< 0.0001) and less likely to smoke (10 versus 30%, P< 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with African-Americans in Dallas County, CBPR participants in church congregations were more educated, physically active and had more treatment and control of most CVRFs. Surprisingly, this motivated population had a greater obesity burden, identifying them as a prime target for CBPR-focused obesity treatment.
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. tiffany.powell@nih.gov
Tiffany M
TM
Powell-Wiley
Kamakki
K
Banks-Richard
Elicia
E
Williams-King
Liyue
L
Tong
Colby R
CR
Ayers
James A
JA
de Lemos
Nora
N
Gimpel
Jenny J
JJ
Lee
Mark J
MJ
DeHaven
D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002835:Christianity; D015331:Cohort Studies; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D026443:Spiritual Therapies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology