Process evaluation findings from Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0: a cardiovascular disease prevention intervention for rural women.

Background: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities 2.0 (SHHC-2.0) was a 24-week cardiovascular disease prevention program that was effective in improving physical activity and nutrition behaviors and clinical outcomes among women in 11 rural New York, USA towns.

COVID-19 Related Protocol Considerations and Modifications within a Rural, Community-Engaged Health Promotion Randomized Trial.

Rural communities are at higher risk for physical inactivity, poor dietary behaviors, and related chronic diseases and obesity. These disparities are largely driven by built environment, socioeconomic, and social factors. A community-based cluster randomized controlled trial of an intervention, the Change Club, aims to address some of these disparities via civic engagement for built environment change.

Changes in physical activity outcomes in the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC-2.0) community-based randomized trial.

Background: Physical inactivity is a risk factor for numerous adverse health conditions and outcomes, including all-cause mortality. Aging rural women are at particular risk for physical inactivity based on environmental, sociocultural, and psychosocial factors. This study reports on changes in physical activity and associated factors from a multicomponent community-engaged intervention trial.

Improvements and Maintenance of Clinical and Functional Measures Among Rural Women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2. 0 Cluster Randomized Trial.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; however, women and rural residents face notable health disparities compared with male and urban counterparts. Community-engaged programs hold promise to help address disparities through health behavior change and maintenance, the latter of which is critical to achieving clinical improvements and public health impact.

Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2.

Evaluation of a civic engagement approach to catalyze built environment change and promote healthy eating and physical activity among rural residents: a cluster (community) randomized controlled trial.

Background: Prior studies demonstrate associations between risk factors for obesity and related chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease) and features of the built environment.

Feasibility of a yoga intervention to decrease pain in older women: a randomized controlled pilot study.

Background: A significant proportion of older women suffer from chronic pain, which can decrease quality of life. The objective of this pilot randomized study was to evaluate the feasibility of a flow-restorative yoga intervention designed to decrease pain and related outcomes among women aged 60 or older.

Methods: Flow-restorative yoga classes were held twice weekly for 1 hour and led by a certified yoga instructor.

Ripple Effects of a Community-Based Randomized Trial for Rural Women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities.

Objective: This study aimed to examine (1) whether the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities intervention (SHHC) improved social network members' (SNMs') weight, exercise, and diet and (2) whether SNMs' weight and behavioral changes were modified by their relationship closeness and/or spatial closeness with trial participants.

Methods: Eight towns received the SHHC intervention, which focused on building individual healthy behaviors and creating supportive social and built environments for exercise and healthy eating. Eight towns received an education-only control intervention.

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

Introduction: Rural women have higher rates of cardiovascular disease than their nonrural counterparts, partially because of their social and environmental contexts. The study objective is to test a refined version of the multilevel Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities intervention, which used extensive process and outcome evaluation data from the original randomized trial to optimize effectiveness as measured by improved Simple 7 score, a composite measure of cardiovascular disease risk.

Study Design: The intervention was implemented in a 6-month, delayed intervention, community-randomized trial; control participants received the program following 24-week outcome assessment.

Web-Based Dissemination of a Civic Engagement Curriculum to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living in Rural Towns: The eHEART Study.

Civic engagement interventions aimed at improving food and physical activity environments hold promise in addressing rural health disparities, but ensuring feasible and sustained dissemination remains a challenge. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a civic engagement curriculum adapted for online dissemination (Healthy Eating and Activity in Rural Towns (eHEART)). The eHEART curriculum and website were developed based on feedback from local health educators and community members.

Changes in diet and physical activity resulting from the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities randomized cardiovascular disease risk reduction multilevel intervention trial.

Background: Women living in rural areas face unique challenges in achieving a heart-healthy lifestyle that are related to multiple levels of the social-ecological framework. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in diet and physical activity, which are secondary outcomes of a community-based, multilevel cardiovascular disease risk reduction intervention designed for women in rural communities.

Methods: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities was a six-month, community-randomized trial conducted in 16 rural towns in Montana and New York, USA.

Strong Hearts for New York: A multilevel community-based randomized cardiovascular disease risk reduction intervention for rural women.

Background: Rural midlife and older women have high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and lower access to healthy living resources. The Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC) intervention, tailored to the needs of rural women, demonstrated effectiveness on many outcomes. The purpose of the Strong Hearts for New York (SHNY) study is to evaluate the efficacy of an enhanced version of the curriculum (SHHC-2.

Effects of the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities Intervention on Functional Fitness of Rural Women.

Purpose: The purposes of these analyses were to determine whether Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC), a multilevel, cardiovascular disease risk reduction program for overweight, sedentary rural women aged 40 or older, led to improved functional fitness, and if changes in fitness accounted for weight loss associated with program participation.

Methods: Sixteen rural communities were randomized to receive the SHHC intervention or a control program. Both programs involved groups of 12-16 participants.

Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities: A Community-Based Randomized Trial for Rural Women.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate a multilevel cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention program for rural women.

Methods: This 6-month, community-based, randomized trial enrolled 194 sedentary rural women aged 40 or older with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m . Intervention participants attended 6 months of twice-weekly exercise, nutrition, and heart health classes (48 total) that included individual-, social-, and environment-level components.

Effects of parent-only childhood obesity prevention programs on BMIz and body image in rural preteens.

This experiment compared body image (BI) and BMI changes resulting from two parent-only obesity prevention interventions aimed at 8-12 year olds. Parents in the experimental intervention attended ten face-to-face educational sessions, while parents in the minimal (control) intervention received similar mailed information. Parent-child dyads (N=150) were semi-randomly assigned to intervention groups.

Strong Hearts, healthy communities: a rural community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and places substantial burden on the health care system. Rural populations, especially women, have considerably higher rates of cardiovascular disease, influenced by poverty, environmental factors, access to health care, and social and cultural attitudes and norms.

Methods/design: This community-based study will be a two-arm randomized controlled efficacy trial comparing a multi-level, community program (Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities) with a minimal intervention control program (Strong Hearts, Healthy Women).

Understanding barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and active living in rural communities.

Objective. Studies demonstrate that people's food and physical activity (PA) environments influence behavior, yet research examining this in rural communities is limited. Methods.

Strength Training Improves Body Image and Physical Activity Behaviors Among Midlife and Older Rural Women.

The effect of strength training on body image is understudied. The Strong Women Program, a 10-week, twice weekly strength-training program, was provided by Extension agents to 341 older rural women (62±12 years); changes in body image and other psychosocial variables were evaluated. Paired-sample t-test analyses were conducted to assess mean differences pre- to post-program.

Childhood obesity prevention in rural settings: background, rationale, and study design of '4-Health,' a parent-only intervention.

Background: Childhood obesity in rural communities is a serious but understudied problem. The current experiment aims to assess a wide range of obesity risk factors among rural youth and to offer an 8-month intervention program for parents to reduce obesity risk in their preteen child.

Methods/design: A two-group, repeated measures design is used to assess the effectiveness of the 4-Health intervention program.