Strong Women - Healthy Hearts (also called StrongPeople Healthy Weight)
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
Strong Women – Healthy Hearts is a lifestyle intervention to promote cardiovascular health among rural middle-aged women through physical activity and healthy eating. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, claiming 500,000 lives per year. Strong Women – Healthy Hearts is a targeted education and behavioral prevention program created by Tufts University and run by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the US Department of Agriculture. The program focuses on non-metropolitan or completely rural counties in Arkansas and Kansas and includes women aged 40 or older with a body mass index (BMI: weight in kg divided by height in meters squared) of greater than 24. The intervention consists of classes twice a week for 12 weeks with a physical activity and dietary components. In the physical activity component women work their way up to 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity and are encouraged to increase lower-intensity lifestyle physical activity outside of the class. During the dietary portion of the class women learn healthy eating patterns, self-monitoring of food-intake, skills building for meal preparation, supermarket shopping, restaurant eating, and hands-on recipe preparation in small groups.
Goal / Mission
The goal of Strong Women – Healthy Hearts is to decrease cardiovascular disease among middle-aged women through behavioral changes in diet and physical activity.
Results / Accomplishments
Women in intervention groups show significant decrease in body weight (-2.1 kg), BMI (-0.8 kg/ m2), and waist circumference (-2.3 inches) when compared to the control group. These changes are strongly correlated with reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease. They significantly decrease their daily caloric intake an average of 390 calories over the control groups, with significant decreases in carbohydrate, fat, and cholesterol consumption. Women in the intervention group walk a flat 2 km course significantly faster than those who did not receive the intervention and show greater steps per day on pedometer readings.
About this Promising Practice
Organization(s)
StrongPeople
Primary Contact
Rebecca Seguin-Fowler
StrongPeople
3913 Walnut Clay Dr
Austin, TX 78731
617-308-1781
info@strongpeopleprogram.org
http://www.strongpeopleprogram.org
StrongPeople
3913 Walnut Clay Dr
Austin, TX 78731
617-308-1781
info@strongpeopleprogram.org
http://www.strongpeopleprogram.org
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Wellness & Lifestyle
Health / Wellness & Lifestyle
Organization(s)
StrongPeople
Source
American Journal of Public Health
Date of publication
Jul 2009
Date of implementation
2007
Geographic Type
Rural
For more details
Target Audience
Adults, Women