The Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities Program 2.0: An RCT Examining Effects on Simple 7

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Health
• Community Interventions

Background:

• Rural women face higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) rates due to social and environmental factors.
• The Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities intervention was refined based on prior trial data.
• Optimizing interventions is crucial for addressing health disparities in rural populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test a refined multilevel intervention aimed at improving cardiovascular health in rural women.
• To evaluate the intervention's effectiveness using the Simple 7 score, a measure of CVD risk.
• To assess improvements in specific CVD risk factors including physical activity, diet, and BMI.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month, community-randomized trial with a delayed intervention design was conducted.
• Participants were 182 rural women (aged ≥40, obese or overweight/sedentary) in medically underserved New York towns.
• Intervention included exercise, nutrition education, and civic engagement; outcomes measured via Simple 7 components and mixed linear regression.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significantly greater improvements in the Simple 7 score compared to controls (difference=1.03, p<0.001).
• Significant improvements were observed in physical activity, healthy diet score, and body mass index (BMI).
• The refined intervention effectively enhanced key cardiovascular health indicators.

Conclusions:

• Rigorous evaluation and revision of community-based programs are essential for optimizing effectiveness.
• The refined Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities intervention shows potential for successful dissemination.
• Evidence-based interventions can effectively improve cardiovascular health in real-world, underserved settings.