Lifestyle Intervention and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in the Illinois WISEWOMAN Program

Abstract

As an integrated physical activity and nutrition intervention, the IWP has shown its strength in addressing some of the lifestyle behaviors for CVD prevention in this at-risk target population.

Guidelines for the Prevention of Stroke in Women

“…[350][351][352][353][354][355][356][357][358][359][360][361][362] Although many of the studies have proved effective in improving lifestyle habits and vascular risk factors in the short term, it has proved more challenging to maintain such changes and reduce cardiovascular events. For example, in the WHI Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial, over a mean of 8.1 years, the dietary intervention reduced total fat intake and increased intakes of vegetables, fruits, and grains but did not significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cardiovascular death in postmenopausal women and achieved only modest effects on cardiovascular risk factors.…”

A community health worker-led lifestyle behavior intervention for Latina (Hispanic) women: Feasibility and outcomes of a randomized controlled trial

“…Women receiving the intervention showed improvements in eating habits and physical activity, systolic blood pressure, and 10-year cardiovascular disease risk assessment, but no significant change in body mass index or cholesterol levels (Hayashi et al, 2010). Other clinic-affiliated studies based on the WISEWOMAN program similarly support positive dietary and physical activity outcomes (Khare et al, 2012; Staten et al, 2004,). A modest but significant weight reduction was reported for Latinos at risk for diabetes who participated in a lifestyle behavior intervention delivered by bilingual, bicultural community health workers (Ockene et al, 2012).…”

“…In several studies community health workers are part of medical teams working in community or hospital clinics with identified at-risk populations, rather than delivering interventions independently in nonclinical settings (Hayashi et al, 2010; Khare et al, 2012; Ockene et al, 2012; Staten et al, 2004). The design of studies, differences in intervention components, and the exclusion of control groups often make it difficult to draw conclusions about the overall effectiveness of community-based interventions by promotoras.…”

A gender-based approach to developing a healthy lifestyle and healthy weight intervention for diverse Utah women

“…The CDC's WISEWOMAN program, an intervention that is based on wellness coaching and that allows materials and messages to be tailored to fit the needs of individual women, was selected as the most appropriate intervention (Hayashi, Farrell, Chaput, Rocha, & Hernandez, 2010;Khare et al, 2012Khare et al, , 2009Vaid, Wigington, Borbely, Ferry and Manheim, 2011). Focus groups that were previously conducted at the Utah Department of Health supported the idea that training women from each community to serve as wellness coaches would be more effective than utilizing ''experts'' from outside the communities.…”