Promoting Cardiovascular Health for African American Women: An Integrative Review of Interventions

Abstract

Background: African American (AA) women bear a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease. Promoting ideal cardiovascular health is one strategy to promote health equity for this disparate population. The goal of this integrative review was to summarize and evaluate the research evidence for cardiovascular risk reduction interventions specifically targeting, tailored, or adapted for AA women. Materials and Methods: A review of the literature was conducted using the EBSCOHost platform. Study elements from articles in the final analysis were extracted. Results: Fourteen interventions were included in the final analysis (16 peer-reviewed articles). Most studies targeted two or more areas of cardiovascular health with the most common areas being physical activity and diet. Primary and secondary outcome measures varied; the most common measures were self-reported dietary intake, physical activity, and knowledge-related measures. Eleven studies reported health outcomes; only five reported long-term intervention effects. Most studies employed at least one cultural tailoring or adaptation strategy for AA women. The most common strategies included incorporating feedback from the target population before implementation and tailoring intervention material to reflect the target population. Conclusions: There is a need to develop and evaluate tailored or adapted evidence-based interventions for AA women. Additional research is needed to design interventions for subgroups of the population such as low-income or rural AA women.

Keywords: African American women; cardiovascular health; culturally tailored health interventions.