Church-based Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure in African Americans

The Heart to Heart intervention will be delivered at the churches over 6 months. The intervention consists of 12 bible study sessions (45 minutes) led by the Senior Pastor and 24 behavior change small group sessions (90 minutes) led by a trained Rush staff interventionist. These sessions are open to the entire church membership and focus on improving diet and physical well being. A community health worker will provide individualized support to participants with uncontrolled blood pressure who do not reduce their blood pressure by participating in small groups.

The Money Smart program for adults was developed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). It consists of training modules that cover basic financial topics including deposit and credit services offered by financial institutions, how to obtain and use credit effectively, and the basics of building or repairing credit. This group-based program will be delivered in 14 sessions over 6 months and will be led by a trained instructor.