Background: Black men and women have the highest rates of obesity in the United States. Behavioral weight loss programs incorporating intimate partners may be effective in combating obesity among this population. Yet, current participation in these programs is low. Identifying motivations and triggers to weight loss may provide insight in…

Mobile phone interventions are evidence-based methods for preventing obesity among Latino adults and school-aged children; however, few such interventions exist to improve the obesogenic behaviors of children in the developmentally critical preschool years (ages 2-5). Focusing on this age group is important since over one-quarter of 2- to…

Fruit and Vegetable Prescription (FVRx) Programs combine produce prescriptions and nutrition education to reduce fruit and vegetable consumption barriers and promote health among low-income patient populations. This study examined whether a multi-level FVRx intervention model with intensive education improves dietary behaviors, food security, and…

Clinics and community-based organizations (CBOs) are priority settings for implementing the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). Both program settings present theoretical advantages and disadvantages for engaging and helping populations most at risk for diabetes achieve lifestyle change goals. To date, few studies have…

Community-engaged patient navigation safety net programs are established as an evidence-based approach to address cancer prevention and early detection efforts, but barriers to expand and sustain such programs persist. In addition, few studies describe how these programs impact buy-in among communities and policy change within health care systems…

Body mass index (BMI) screenings are conducted as part of Head Start's (HS) health and nutrition assessments. Weight status classifications, which rely on the accuracy of the BMI measurements, are communicated to caregivers to engage them in health behavior change. Limited qualitative research has been conducted on the procedures for BMI…

Lead exposure has been linked to neurological, reproductive, and developmental effects, and approximately 3.5% of Chicago children under the age of 3 years have elevated blood lead levels. The aim of this research was to provide outreach opportunities to address the issue of lead exposure in water and soil. A series of seven community-based health…

Objective: An emerging literature suggests patients with chronic illnesses can benefit from integrated, person-centric approaches to health care, including group-based programs. However, much of the research in this area is disease specific. The objective of this study was to collect preliminary evidence on the efficacy of Taking Charge of My Life…

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the VAMOS strategy (Health-Improving Active Life) in improving physical activity (PA), dietary habits, and anthropometric variables of primary health care (PHC) users in Brazil. A randomized controlled community trial was conducted at two units of the Health Academy Program (HAP; a service provided…

Background: While the Texas infant mortality rate (IMR) is below the Healthy People 2020 objective (5.7 per 1,000 live births), stark differences in IMR are seen across Texas communities. Health indicators for the state suggest important missed opportunities for improving maternal and infant outcomes. The Healthy Families initiative was a…

This study examines the expected and experienced benefits among participants in Enhance®Fitness (EF), an evidence-based group physical activity program for older adults. We also describe the implications for program dissemination (reach, implementation, and maintenance) within the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and…

Introduction: ParticipACTION's 2011 "Think Again" campaign aimed to draw parents', and specifically mothers', attention to the amount of physical activity (PA) their children do relative to the national guidelines (physical activity guidelines [PAG]). Purpose: To evaluate ParticipACTION's "Think Again" campaign in the context…

Despite the known dangers of pregnancy smoking, rates remain high, especially in the rural, Southern United States. Interventions are effective, but few have been developed and tested in regions with high rates of pregnancy smoking, a culture that normalizes smoking, and a hard-to-reach prenatal population. The goals were to describe a smoking…

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Walk Your Heart to Health" ("WYHH") intervention, one component of the multilevel Community Approaches to Cardiovascular Health: Pathways to Heart Health (CATCH:PATH) intervention designed to promote physical activity and reduce cardiovascular risk…

The few existing economic evaluations of community-based health promotion interventions were reported retrospectively at the end of the trial. We report an evaluation of the costs of the Kin Keeper(superscript SM) Cancer Prevention Intervention, a female family-focused educational intervention for underserved women applied to increase breast and…