A community-based wellness program to reduce depression in African Americans: results from a pilot intervention

African Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression.

To develop and pilot test a culturally tailored, community-based, psychoeducational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African Americans.

Participants were African Americans with moderate depressive symptoms who were interested in exercise but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psychoeducational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and postintervention surveys and postintervention feedback sessions.

Twenty-one African Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found a large reduction in depressive symptoms, with mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores dropping from 14.8 to 7.1 (p < .0001), and increases in exercise and depression self-efficacy and behaviors.

This pilot study offers promising preliminary evidence to inform further research on the use of community-based, culturally tailored wellness programs to address depression.