Page Contents
Overview
Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reduced Screen Time
Intervention Type: Direct Education
Intervention Reach and Adoption
Setting: Community
Target Audience: Adults, Older Adults
Race/Ethnicity: All
Intervention Components
Intervention Materials
- SPSH Leader Guide – program protocols, data collection protocols, anticipated costs, and additional information about implementing the program.
- SPSH Participant Guide – handouts, recipes, homework, tips and tricks, and additional information about topics covered in class.
- StrongPeople™ Health Journal – tracking pages for goals, diet, physical activity, and physical measurements.
Intervention Costs
Evidence Summary
- Seguin RA, Paul L, Folta SC, et al. Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities: a community-based randomized trial for rural women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018;26(5):845-853. doi:10.1002/oby.22158.
- Seguin-Fowler RA, Strogatz D, Graham ML, et al. The Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities program 2.0: an RCT examining effects on Simple 7. Am J Prev Med. 2020;59(1):32-40. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.01.027.
Additionally, compared to controls, intervention participants improved their combined fruit and vegetable intake and vegetable intake alone, plus walking MET-minutes per week. In terms of functional fitness, intervention participants significantly improved strength, endurance, and physical function.
- Folta SC, Paul L, Nelson ME, et al. Changes in diet and physical activity resulting from the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities randomized cardiovascular disease risk reduction multilevel intervention trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2019;16(1):91. doi:10.1186/s12966-019-0852-z.
- Pullyblank K, Strogatz D, Folta SC, et al. Effects of the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities intervention on functional fitness of rural women. J Rural Health. 2020;36(1):104-110. doi:10.1111/jrh.12361.
After the first iteration of the curriculum was tested in the RCT, post-intervention questionnaires, focus groups with participants, and interviews with leaders were used to assess acceptability. The great majority of responses was positive; 72% of participants were very satisfied with the program and participants reported noticeable improvements in fitness and eating habits.
- Sriram U, Sandreuter K, Graham M, et al. Process evaluation of strong Hearts, Healthy Communities: A rural community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019;51(2):138-149. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2018.10.011
Based on participant and leader feedback, changes were made to the intervention (e.g., restructuring program content, increasing strength training exercise variety) before the second RCT was conducted. Reports of the process evaluation of the second iteration of the program, including acceptability measures, are forthcoming.
Evidence-based Approach: Research-Tested
Evaluation Indicators
Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST) | Changes – Medium Term (MT) | Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT) | Population Results (R) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Individual | MT1, MT3 | |||
Sectors of Influence |
- MT1: Vegetables in cup equivalents; Healthy Eating Index Total Score
- MT3: Walking MET-minutes per week; Average minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity; Cardiovascular endurance; Body strength
Evaluation Materials
Additional Information
Contact Person(s):
Rebecca Seguin-Fowler
Email: info@strongpeopleprogram.org
Phone: 512-640-9131