Insights for Community Health

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Hypertension

In brief

High blood pressure is the number one cause of death for Blacks in the United States. A major reason for the high rates of cardiovascular deaths is poor blood pressure control. Improving blood pressure control leads to large reductions in cardiovascular deaths in Blacks and can be achieved through interventions targeting self-management behaviors. Yet, despite the proven benefits of these interventions, there is little evidence of their role in community-based settings. In NYC, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has developed Keep on Track, a volunteer-run, community program that aims to lower blood pressure of older adults through blood pressure monitoring sessions, brief counseling and health education. With support from DOHMH, lay health workers at faith-based organizations and senior centers take blood pressure readings for community members, record their readings on index cards and provide counseling to support lifestyle change and health care access. However, lay health workers administrating the program report difficulties managing the volume of tracking cards, and express interest in better tools to manage the information. To address this limitation, the primary aim of this study is to test the feasibility of implementing a Personal Health Record (PHR) system in two predominately Black churches in NYC to help lay health workers track changes in blood pressure and health behaviors of the participating congregants. The secondary aims are to evaluate the effect of the PHR system on changes in blood pressure, physical activity, weight loss, fruit and vegetable intake, and number of visits to a primary care physician from baseline to 9 months. The investigators hypothesize that congregants who enroll in the PHR system will have a greater reduction in BP; an increased intake of fruits and vegetables and levels of physical activity; weight loss; and report a great number of visits to their doctor at 9 months.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01681862

Run by

NYU Langone Health

People needed

55

Starts

2012-09-01

Expected to finish

2015-07-01

Last updated by the study team

2015-10-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• age ≥18 years old;
• Are a member of the congregation at one of the participating churches;
• Self-identify as African American/Black and
• Have a diagnosis of HTN (either by self-report or taking at least one antihypertensive medication).

You may not qualify if…

• Inability to comply with the study protocol (either self-selected or by indicating during the consent procedures that s/he cannot complete all requested tasks) or
• Has a serious comorbid medical condition (e.g., psychiatric illness, cognitive impairment due to stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's, etc.).

Where it is running

• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene — New York, New York, United States
• NYU School of Medicine — New York, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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