H.U.B. City Steps-A Healthy "U" Begins with Steps

A Community Partnership to Reduce Blood Pressure Among African American Adults - A Walking Intervention

This project is a community-university research collaboration to improve health in Hattiesburg

Overview

This research collaboration between the city of Hattiesburg and the University of Southern Mississippi focuses on improving health in the greater Hattiesburg area by involving residents in regular walking activity. Funded by the NIH Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities, it targets African American residents experiencing health disparities, but does not exclude others from participating.

Intervention dimensions included in funded proposal

• Establishment of community committees
• Oversee intervention
• Provide guidance related to processes and challenges encountered
• Recruit and train of volunteer leaders who recruit friends and neighbors to participate in regular walking, and support and encourage their walking
• Assess participants to evaluate health improvements associated with walking
• Monitor quality to ensure that intervention components are delivered as planned and problems that occur are addressed

 Community – campus steering and advisory committees

 Timeline

Project advisory board/steering committee

Recruitment and retention committee

Intervention strategies and education committee

Data Collection and Evaluation 

Overall project period: July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2013

Year 1: establishing committees, hiring personnel, recruiting volunteer leaders, preparing manuals of procedure, assessing the community walking environment

Year 2: recruiting participants, starting walking intervention

 Intervention staff

• University based project director and evaluation personnel
• Community based field coordinator and recruitment coordinator
• Part-time community research assistants

 Capacity-building

• Emphasis on sustainability of project efforts
• Training of project personnel, paid and volunteer
• Opportunities for community project leaders to attend national community campus partnership conferences
• Emphasis on sustainability of project efforts

 Training of project personnel, paid and volunteer

Opportunities for community project leaders to attend national community campus partnership conferences

Please visit H.U.B. City Steps website for more information.

Point of Contact:

Kathy Yadrick

Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition and Food Systems

The University of Southern Mississippi

118 College Drive #5172

Hattiesburg, MS 39406

Phone: 601.266.4479

FAX: 601.266.6343

E-mail: m.yadrick@usm.edu