Developing a Community-Informed, Peer-to-Peer Intervention to Improve Health-Related Quality of Life among African American Men

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Health promotion efforts among African American men have produced limited results. African American men have lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL; i.e., a comprehensive indicator of health consisting of physical, psychological, and social functioning) than any other ethnic-sex group in the United States. HRQoL is a measure of population health that is associated with mortality and morbidity. HRQoL is exacerbated by stress, depression, low levels of physical activity, and poor diet – contributors to adverse health often experienced by African American men. There is an urgent need to develop a health promotion program to improve HRQoL among these men. The success of such a program hinges on its ability to recruit and retain these men – African American men constitute fewer than 10% of participants enrolled in clinical trials and are underrepresented in health research. A health promotion program that is culturally relevant to the lived experiences of these men and implemented through a peer-to-peer model can improve engagement, minimize attrition, and promote HRQoL. Thus, a community-informed, peer-to-peer intervention to improve the HRQoL among African American men will be developed. The development of this intervention will be informed by the Social Ecological Model of Health, Social Cognitive Theory, Community-Based Participatory Research, and a community advisory board consisting of African American men. It is hypothesized that the theoretically-based intervention will be effective in recruiting and retaining these men, in addition to improving their HRQoL. The specific aims of the study are (1) to determine the individual, social, and environmental characteristics that impact stress, depression, physical activity, and diet among African American men; (2) to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a community-informed, peer-to- peer intervention to improve the HRQoL among African American men; and (3) to evaluate the efficacy of a pilot randomized wait-list control trial to determine the preliminary impacts of the community-informed intervention on HRQoL among African American men. This research will inform recruitment and retention efforts of African American men in health promotion programs, in addition to strategies to improve HRQoL. The candidate’s mentorship team consists of renowned experts in the development of tailored health promotion interventions, the health of men of color, qualitative and quantitative research, Community-Based Participatory Research, and technology-enhanced interventions for African American men. The training plan involves coursework, seminars, and mentored research experiences to develop expertise in (1) qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research, (2) implementation and dissemination science, (3) behavioral randomized controlled trials, (4) grant- writing, (5) health promotion and disparities among minority communities, and (6) mHealth. The research and training proposed in this K23 Career Development Award will support the candidate’s long-term goal of becoming an independent scientist and leading investigator in developing and testing innovative interventions to improve the HRQoL among underserved and at-risk communities.