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Assessment of health status among members of two African Americans churches from eastern North Carolina
Author(s) -
Pawlak Roman,
Colby Sarah
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.736.5
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , overweight , obesity , diastole , demography , population , blood lipids , body mass index , cholesterol , endocrinology , environmental health , sociology
Objective To assess blood lipids profile, blood pressure (BP) and weight status of African Americans participating in a faith‐based nutrition intervention program. Study Design Blood lipid profile (total [TC], LDL [LDL] and HDL cholesterol [HDL]), BP, BMI, and % of body fat assessment was conducted at two church locations. Sample Participants (n = 62) had the mean (SD) age = 55.86 (9.4). Fifty‐two were females and most (75%) had at least some college education. Principal Findings About 18% of participants had TC 200‐239mg/dl and about 12% had TC > 240mg/dl. Approximately 63% had LDL > 100mg/dl and about 76% had HDL < 60mg/dl. More than half (50.1%) had a systolic BP = 140 and almost 57% had diastolic BP = 80. More than 90% were either overweight or obese (BMI = 25) with almost 71% being obese (BMI = 30). Mean (SD) BMI was 39.78 (6.99). Statistically significant differences in the mean score of diastolic BP (F(df = 1) = 14.04; p < 0.000) and HDL (F(df = 1) = 4.75; p < 0.037) were found. Females had higher mean diastolic BP (85.6 vs. 74.4) and lower HDL values (37.6 vs. 48.8). No statistically significant difference in the rate of BMI = 25between males and females was found (Chi‐square (df = 1) = 0.737; p < 0.617). Conclusion The results indicate that this population could benefit from a comprehensive lifestyle intervention with special focus on weight loss.