Inspire HER: Inspiring the Heart and Emotions for Radical Health

Poor heart health puts Black women at risk for a shorter life with more illness than people of any other non-indigenous racial group. Yet, few studies have focused on improving heart health in Black women. Our team built and studied a 24-week program called Black Impact for Black men with less than ideal heart health. Black Impact provides 45 minutes of exercise and 45 minutes of healthy diet education and connects Black men with a health coach, fitness trainer, and community health worker. In the first study of Black Impact, Black men (n=74) had improved heart health equal to a 19% lower risk of death from heart disease. These men also reported less stress, improvement in being able to control their health, and fewer unmet social needs. Now, a study of Black Impact in 340 Black men is ongoing to understand how Black Impact works with respect to stress and heart health. Black women have reported a need for a similar heart health program. Based on feedback from Black women (n=56), we adapted Black Impact for Black women (Inspire HER). Thus, we propose to refine the Inspire HER program for Black women. Then, we will do a clinical trial of Inspire HER compared to routine living (usual care) in Black women with elevated heart health risk. We will find out if the Inspire HER program reduces heart health risk more than usual care. We will also assess how the Inspire HER program "gets under the skin" to affect the body's response to stress. Lastly, we will compare the response to stress between women of Inspire HER and men of Black Impact. Importantly, we expect this study will show promising improvements in heart health and risk. This Inspire HER trial will lay the foundation for larger future studies. Inspire HER, comparing data from Black Impact, may also help us understand how women and men in heart health programs respond differently to stress. This trial aligns with American Heart Association's pledge to address heart health equity through new interventions that consider the person and the circumstances with which they live.