Use of an Innovative Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Hypertension Among African-Americans

The project objective is to test the feasibility of delivering health education and self-management support to African-American patients with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) through a culturally-tailored smartphone application (app)-enhanced intervention within federally qualified health centers.

The Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!) Program at Mayo Clinic, a community-based cardiovascular (CV) health promotion initiative for African-Americans (AAs) will collaborate with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Cardiovascular Health Unit and two federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) (NorthPoint Health \& Wellness Center, Minneapolis, MN; Open Cities Health Center, St. Paul, MN) to integrate an innovative mobile health (mHealth) intervention (FAITH! HTN App) into clinical and community settings with the aim of improving blood pressure (BP) control.

The project objective is to test the feasibility of delivering health education and self-management support to African-American patients with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) through a culturally-tailored smartphone application (app)-enhanced intervention within federally qualified health centers. This initiative is a component of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) effort to support state/local public health strategies to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) in under-resourced populations disproportionately affected by CVD risk factors, such as HTN. Insights from the FAITH! Community Steering Committee (CSC) will also provide guidance to ensure project patient-centeredness. The investigators will incorporate strategies grounded in theoretical frameworks to ensure soundness of our intervention while tailoring it to meet the preferences and needs of an under-resourced population with multi-level barriers to HTN management.

Specific Aim 1:To assess app feasibility through participant intervention engagement (app education module completion, self-monitoring) and intervention satisfaction.

Specific Aim 2: To assess preliminary efficacy of the app by evaluating improvement in patient BP control (immediate, 3 months and 6 months post-intervention), CV health knowledge (via app self-assessments), and BP self-management (medication adherence).

Hypothesis:

The study hypothesis is that an app-based intervention will be feasible and demonstrate preliminary efficacy in improving uncontrolled HTN and health education among AA patients from baseline to post-intervention (immediate, 3 months and 6 months post-intervention).

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* African American race/ethnicity
* 18 years or older
* Receive primary care at one of the two partnering Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and intent to continue care there for next 6 months
* Uncontrolled HTN (defined as BP ≥140/90 mmHg \[as per JNC7 Hypertension Guidelines68\] at most recent outpatient evaluation, with or without BP medications)
* Documented diagnosis of HTN in EHR
* At least 1 office visit at one of the two partnering FQHCs in prior year
* Smartphone ownership (supporting iOS or Android Systems)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unable to commit to participating in both focus groups (pre and post app refinement).
* Diagnosis of a serious medical condition or disability that would make participation difficult (i.e. visual or hearing impairment, mental disability that would preclude independent use of the app).