Motivational Encouragement With Networks (MEN) for Healthy Eating Activity Resting Together (HEART) Health Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this research study is to determine if a health coaching intervention that includes exercise, good dietary habits, and good relaxation methods helps overweight men improve health and lose weight. The investigator's hope is to enroll 30 men in this research study.

Detailed Description
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Health coaching helps patients gain the knowledge, skills, tools and confidence to become active participants in their care so that they can reach self-identified health goals. Health coaching: 1) provides self-management support, 2) bridges gaps between health professionals and patients, 3) helps patients navigate the health care system, 4) offers emotional support, and 5) serves as a continuity figure. The intervention will consist of tailored health coaching, goal setting, and behavioral contracting for healthy actions to create a supportive context for participants that supports health promoting behaviors (HPBs), with efforts to enhance HPB reinforcement through established networks. After baseline assessment, the men will participate in a 45-minute educational meeting with the principal investigator (PI) to discuss self-reported measures from baseline instruments and the importance of health promoting behaviors (HPBs) to overall heart health. Afterwards, a research study team (research trained undergraduate and graduate student assistants) will perform case management and health advisement (bi-weekly continuity phone calls 2x / month) to support protocol adherence and tracking of participant goals over a period of 120 days. The research team will be guided by a coaching manual created for the purposes of the study. The M for H study will also create and provide health-oriented emails (2x / week), daily tracking text messaging on weekdays, monthly face-to-face coaching group meetings during community-based organization (CBO) set times (i.e. meetings, events), and access to an optional social media platform supporting peer interactions. After 120 days, participants will be reassessed to determine impacts related physical activity (PA) measures, knowledge, attitudes, & practices (KAPs), and interviewed to discuss M for H feasibility and acceptability. The targeted outcome for the 120 day period will be improvement toward the performance of >150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity accumulated as indicated by accelerometry, increase in distance walked during a six (6) minute walk test, and improvement in theoretical construct measures indicative of performance of HPBs among participants.

Official Title
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Motivational Encouragement With Networks (MEN) for Healthy Eating Activity Resting Together (HEART) Health Study

Conditions
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Physical Activity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Health coaching


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be eligible if they are African American (AA) men: 45 - 75 years of age at initial enrollment in the study Overweight (BMI 25 - 29.99) Obese (BMI 30 - 44.99) Sufficiently inactive (i.e. self-report accumulating <90 minutes/week of moderate or vigorous physical activity) Categorized as low or moderate risk in accordance with American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for pre-exercise screening Exclusion Criteria: Younger than 45 years Not able to speak or read English Life expectancy of less than 1 year Categorization of high risk in accordance with ACSM guidelines Identified by one's primary care clinician as unable to follow instructions because of physical or cognitive disability Psychiatric illness Other unidentified reasons as determined by the investigators

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 45 Years
Maximum Age: 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Health coaching ARM<br>Participants in this ARM will undergo health coaching for 4 months. | Behavioral: Health coaching<br>* Health coaching<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in physical activity | Change in weekly physical activity minutes accumulated from baseline measures assessed by employing accelerometry. | 4 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in fruit / vegetable intake | Change in daily fruit and vegetable intake from baseline measures assessed by questionnaire (food log journal). | 4 months | 
| Change in sleep hours nightly | Change in nightly sleep hours measured nightly from baseline measures assessed by questionnaire. | 4 months |