Implementing Community-Based participatory research to Reduce Health and Tech Disparities among low Income African Women

需要采取新的方法，让利益攸关方参与制定和维持改变健康行为的有效干预措施，特别是在低收入和服务不足的社区。与健康相关行为改变决策相关的变量将对医疗保健成本和生活质量产生重大影响。该项目有可能降低低收入非裔美国人的医疗保健成本，提高他们的生活质量。在这个由NSF资助的项目中，Sriastava、Walker、Krichmar和Anyi wo博士试图确定具有成本效益的战略和干预措施，以缩小健康差距，并利用在线健康信息和支持在低收入非裔美国人中更多地使用促进健康的生活方式。这个以社区为基础的健康支持项目的目标是确定行为改变的障碍、与行为改变有关的决策所涉及的因素以及支持个人决定改变其健康行为的变量。利用以社区为基础的参与性设计战略，该项目将评估社区成员改编和/或设计的具有文化相关性的在线保健信息学和社会支助活动的有效性。低收入社区的主要问题是完全缺乏实用和相关的在线资源，以解决他们的教育和收入水平、文化习俗和遗产问题。该项目旨在将在线健康信息的使用和支持扩大到目前没有使用在线健康信息的群体，并与其他寻求影响低收入和服务不足社区的健康状况和相关医疗保健费用的人分享这一模式。基于与行为改变决策相关的研究结果，一个跨学科研究团队将实施一项探索性研究，以开发在线健康信息学和社会支持系统，以满足寻求改变其健康相关行为的低收入非裔美国人的需求。

New approaches are needed to engage stakeholders in developing and sustaining effective interventions for health behavior change, especially within low-income and underserved communities. The variables associated with decision making for health related behavior change will have a major impact on health care costs and quality of life. This project has the potential to decrease health care costs and improve the quality of life for low-income African Americans. In this NSF-funded project, Drs. Srivastava, Walker, Krichmar, and Anyiwo seek to identify cost-effective strategies and interventions for decreasing health disparities and increasing the use of health promoting lifestyles among low-income African Americans using online health information and support. The objectives of this community-based health support project are to identify barriers to behavior change, factors involved in decision making regarding behavior change, and variables that support individuals in their decision to change their health behavior. Using community-based participatory design strategies, the project will evaluate the effectiveness of culturally relevant online health informatics and social support activities, adapted and/or designed by community members. The primary problem for low-income communities is a total lack of practical and relevant online resources that address their education and income levels, cultural practices, and heritages. The project seeks to expand the uses of online health information and support to groups that are not currently making use of them and to share this model with others seeking to impact the health status, and associated health care costs, of low-income and underserved communities. Based on the findings related to decision making for behavior change, an interdisciplinary research team will implement an exploratory research study to develop online health informatics and social support systems targeted to meet the needs of low income African-Americans seeking to change their health related behavior.