Stress-reduction Wellness Program for Midlife Black Women (B-SWELL)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in all women, and as women transition through midlife, the prevalence of CVD exceeds that of men.1 Midlife Black women, defined as ages 40-64,unduly shoulder the burden of CVD (49%), hypertension (40%), and heart failure (50% greater risk). Midlife Black women also report higher levels of chronic stress and greater numbers of stressful life events in comparison to midlife White women, putting them at greater risk for CVD. In addition to the physical impact, coping with chronic stress takes time and energy away from self-care, functioning as a barrier to the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors. Existent interventions do not fully address the unique factors contributing to the experience of stress, lifestyle behaviors, and CVD risk in midlife Black women.

The purpose of this research proposal is to develop a midlife Black women's Stress-reduction WELLness intervention, B-SWELL, to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors based on the stressors and themes identified in preliminary research. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods will be used to engage the community and include midlife Black women in the development of the B-SWELL. We propose that the skills and knowledge gained through participation in the B-SWELL program will increase receptivity to the healthy lifestyle behaviors outlined in the American Heart Association's Life Simple 7 Success Plan (LS7). The LS7 targets seven risk factors known to increase cardiovascular related health risk: cholesterol, fasting glucose, blood pressure, body mass index, physical activity, diet, and smoking.

Our hypothesis proposes that low stress scores and greater self efficacy will be associated with the adoption of AHA's healthy lifestyle behaviors. Low stress and self efficacy will be facilitated through peer support and culturally relevant content, materials, and themes. B-SWELL participants will show improved self-efficacy in managing life stress and adopting the LS7 behaviors, compared to a control group receiving traditional wellness education (WE group).

Aim 1: Develop the B-SWELL intervention for midlife Black women through the innovative leveraging of CBPR methodology and LS7 modifiable healthy lifestyle behaviors.

• To develop components of the B-SWELL intervention prototype for midlife Black women.
• Obtain ratings of the new components of the B-SWELL from our community advisory board for degree of accuracy, relevance, and feasibility to inform further refinements.

Aim 2: Determine the feasibility of the B-SWELL intervention with a trial of 50 midlife Black women randomized to the B-SWELL intervention (25) or to a wellness education (WE) control group (25):

• Obtain recruitment, retention, treatment fidelity ratings, and satisfaction ratings for the intervention procedures for both groups;
• Compare mediator measures (stress, self-efficacy) for participants in the B-SWELL intervention group with those in the WE group at 8 and 12 weeks.
• Compare outcome measures (LS7 summary scores, unhealthy days, general health, depressive symptoms) for participants in the B-SWELL intervention group with those in the WE attention control group at 8 and 12 weeks.

Inclusion criteria

• fluent in the English language,
• ability to hear and talk well enough to engage in everyday conversation,
• access to a telephone with messaging,
• access to WIFI,
• willingness to participate for duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

• recent immigration to the U.S.,
• prisoner or on house arrest,
• pregnant,
• terminal illness (i.e., late stage cancer, end-of-life condition, renal failure requiring dialysis),
• history of Alzheimer's, dementia, or severe mental illness (i.e., suicidal tendencies, schizophrenia, or severe untreated depression),
• any other major health conditions or disabilities prohibiting safe participation in the program.