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Heart-Healthy Lenoir Lifestyle Study

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Cardiovascular Disease
Obesity
Interventions
Behavioral: Maintenance of Weight Loss--Experimental
Behavioral: Maintenance of Weight Loss--Control
Registration Number
NCT01433484
Lead Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Brief Summary

This study aims to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and disparities in risk by improving lifestyle factors which underlie the development of CVD. The first steps will involve conducting a comprehensive formative evaluation to assess individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy factors relevant to CVD risk and risk reduction in Lenoir County. This will be followed by a community-based lifestyle intervention program designed to improve eating patterns, promote physical activity, and for those who are interested, support weight loss. A randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of two community based weight maintenance interventions will also be conducted. Community-wide policy and environmental change interventions will also be implemented to support the individual-level interventions, including partnerships with businesses to promote a healthy environment through innovative economic opportunities. In addition, this project will explore genetic factors associated with cardiovascular disease risk and treatment success.

Detailed Description

The lifestyle intervention will enroll 350 participants. The initial lifestyle component of this study, which lasts for 4-6 months, will be provided to all participants. Participants may chose from one of two intervention formats, each with 4 contacts: individual counseling with at least one face-to-face visit and the rest face-to-face or by phone or 4 group sessions. The dietary intervention will focus on improving fat and carbohydrate quality. For fat intake, the goals include 2-4 servings per day of polyunsaturated fat primarily from plant sources and minimal intake of trans fat. For carbohydrate intake, the goals include increased intake of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans and reduced consumption of refined carbohydrates. The physical activity intervention will primarily focus on walking with a goal of 7500 to 10,000 steps per day or, for those who do not wish to use a pedometer, 30 minutes of walking a day. Muscle strengthening activities will also be recommended. At the 4-6 month follow-up measures, those who wish to take part in a weight loss study may do so and those who do not will continue in a maintenance of lifestyle intervention.

The investigators anticipate approximately 200 participants will take part in the weight loss component of this study, which consists of a 6 month intensive weight loss intervention. Participants may choose from two intervention formats: 16 weekly group sessions or 5 group sessions and 10 phone counseling sessions. The weight loss goal will be 5% of body weight. At the conclusion of this program, those who lose at least 8 pounds and are willing to take part in a 1 year maintenance of weight loss intervention will be RANDOMIZED to one of two maintenance of weight loss programs. One maintenance arm will receive monthly telephone contacts for one year, while the other arm will receive bi-monthly phone contacts.

Follow-up measures for all participants will be at approximately 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.

Another related part of the project will use a systems approach to develop models integrating clinical and genomic data. Researchers have developed and tested an approach referred to as the SAMARA (Supporting A Multidisciplinary Approach to Research in Atherosclerosis) Project that applies recent, major advances in biomedical and computational sciences at UNC to develop a deeper understanding of human CVD. The Heart-Healthy Lenoir Project will expand studies into the community, using this methodology to: 1) determine the prevalence of genomic risk signatures in high-risk community populations using genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) analysis; 2) develop novel genomic models incorporating high-risk features in this population; and 3) determine whether genomic signatures can be used to predict responsiveness to interventions that underlie CVD disparities. Participants who consent to this component of the project will have a blood specimen obtained at baseline.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
339
Inclusion Criteria
  1. 18 years or older
  2. live in Lenoir County or a neighboring county in Eastern North Carolina
  3. anyone enrolled in the Lifestyle study is eligible to participate in the genomics component of the project.
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Exclusion Criteria
  1. non-English speaking
  2. treatment of psychosis
  3. alcohol or substance abuse within the two last years
  4. history of malignancy, other than non-melanoma skin cancer, unless surgically cured > 5 years ago or in remission/well treated and not likely to have a negative effect on the patient's health over the next 2 years
  5. estimated creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min
  6. lack of access to phone
  7. advanced dementia
  8. participants who have been diagnosed with a myocardial infarction within the past three months will be excluded from the study if they are unable to obtain written medical clearance from their clinician to participate in the study

Additional Exclusion Criteria - Weight Loss Intervention:

  1. the investigators will not invite pregnant women to take part in the weight loss study.
  2. if a woman becomes pregnant while taking part in this part of the study, we will withdraw her from the weight loss study and invite her to continue in the lifestyle study.
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Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Maintenance of Weight Loss--ExperimentalMaintenance of Weight Loss--ExperimentalThe experimental arm will receive monthly telephone contacts for one year during the maintenance phase.
Maintenance of Weight Loss--ControlMaintenance of Weight Loss--ControlThe control arm will receive bi-monthly telephone contacts during the one-year maintenance phase.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Embedded randomized trial: maintenance of weight loss1 year after maintenance of weight loss trial begins

Weight will be measured by electronic scale

Cohort study: fruit and vegetable intake at 6 months6 months

Fruit and vegetable intake will be measured by the Block fruit and vegetable sceener and by blood carotenoids

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fruit and vegetable intake at 6 months12, 18, and 24 months

Measured by Block fruit and vegetable screener

Physical activity6m, 12m, 18m, 24 m

Measured by questionnaire and pedometer

Blood pressure6, 12, 18, 24 months

measured by automated device

Genomic predictors of lifestyle change6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month follow-up

A systems approach to developing genomic models integrating clinical and genomic data.

Weight6, 12, 18, 24

Measured by electronic scale

Health related quality of life6, 12, 24 months

SF-12 instrument

Blood lipids12, 24 months

total and HDL cholesterol measured by commercial lab

A1c6, 12, 24 months

measured by commercial lab

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Heart Healthy Lenoir Project, Kinston Enterprise Center

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Kinston, North Carolina, United States

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