Development, adaptation, and implementation of a cardiovascular health program for Alaska native women

Southcentral Foundation's Traditions of the Heart program is an innovative cardiovascular disease prevention program for women designed to build on the strengths of the Alaska Native culture as a way to support and encourage positive lifestyle behaviors that focus on healthy eating, active living, stress management, and tobacco cessation. After conducting assessments of existing intervention programs and formative data collection, we adapted two existing programs, Native Nutrition Circles and A New Leaf... Choices for Healthy Living, to develop the Traditions of the Heart program. We implemented and evaluated a pilot intervention study to determine the program's acceptance among Alaska Native women. We used the evaluation results to further refine our study protocol. This article describes the adaptation of these programs to the cultural needs and strengths of Alaska Native women and the results of the formative evaluation used to improve the program design. The complete pilot study outcomes will be published separately.