Background:Physical activity (PA) participation offers many benefits especially among ethnic groups that experience health disparities. Partnering with faith-based organizations allows for a more culturally tailored approach to changing health behaviors.Methods:8 Steps to Fitness was a faith-based behavior-change intervention promoting PA among members of African American churches. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine differences between the intervention group (n=72) and comparison group (n = 74). Health (resting blood pressure, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose), psycho-social (PA self-efficacy, social support, enjoyment, self-regulation, depression), and behavioral variables (PA, diet) were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-months. Repeated measures ANCOVAs tested changes across time between groups.Results:At 3-months, the intervention group showed significantly more favorable changes in body mass index, waist circumference and social support than the control group. At 6-months, the intervention group showed significantly more favorable changes in hip circumference, waist to hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, and depressive symptoms. There was notable attrition from both the intervention (36%) and the comparison group (58%).Conclusions:This study was conducted in a real-world setting, and provided insight into how to deliver a culturally-tailored PA intervention program for African Americans with a potential for dissemination.

No abstract

Background Expanding the role of pharmacists in the hospital setting has the potential to positively impact the quality of patient care and provide cost savings. Previous studies have shown that integrating pharmacists into rounding teams can enhance patient care through interventions at the point of assessment and prescribing. This study examines these potential benefits at a community hospital that does not have formal hospitalist rounds and in which the pharmacists must make recommendations via written communication. Objective The primary objective was to identify the number of interventions and to determine how to optimally utilize a pharmacist for a group of 19 hospitalists. Secondary objectives included estimating pharmacist time invested and cost savings. Methods Initially, methods in this study included reviewing patient medication profiles and informally rounding with the hospitalists. Interventions were performed at the time of rounding. After 2 weeks of rounding, methods were altered to improve the efficiency of the pharmacist's time. Patient profiles were reviewed and interventions were performed by written communication. Results A total of 386 patients were reviewed, with 117 interventions discovered. Fifty-eight verbal interventions were made during rounds with a 93% acceptance rate. Fifty-nine written interventions were made in the second part of the study with a 76% acceptance rate. The pharmacist spent an average of 10 minutes reviewing each patient profile, which resulted in a savings of $16 per hour of time invested. An actual cost savings of $3,900 was produced by 64 of the interventions, and the potential cost savings of the remaining 53 interventions exceeded $100,000. Conclusion Opportunities for pharmacist interventions exist within a hospitalists' team and the potential benefits to patient care, along with the actual and potential cost savings, should justify creating collaborations between pharmacists and hospitalists.

No abstract