Using Photovoice to Understand Barriers to and Facilitators of Cardiovascular Health Among African American Adults and Adolescents, North Carolina, 2011–2012

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Kowitt, Sarah ; Woods-Jaeger, Briana ; Lomas, Jesse ; Taggart, Tamara ; Thayer, Linden ; Sutton, Sussie ; Lightfoot, Alexandra F.
• Description:
  Introduction ; Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and mortality rates are higher among African Americans than among people of other races/ethnicities. We aimed to understand how African American adults and adolescents conceptualize cardiovascular health and perceive related barriers and facilitators. ; Methods ; This qualitative study was conducted as formative research for a larger study, Heart Healthy Lenoir, which aimed to reduce cardiovascular disease disparities among African Americans in eastern North Carolina, part of the widely-known “stroke belt” that runs through the southeastern United States. Using photovoice, a community-based participatory research method, we conducted eight 90-minute photovoice sessions with 6 adults and 9 adolescents in Lenoir County, North Carolina. Topics for each discussion were selected by participants and reflected themes related to cardiovascular health promotion. All sessions were transcribed and coded using a data-driven, inductive approach. ; Results ; Participants conceptualized cardiovascular health to have mental, spiritual, and social health dimensions. Given these broad domains, participants acknowledged many ecological barriers to cardiovascular health; however, they also emphasized the importance of personal responsibility. Facilitators for cardiovascular health included using social health (eg, family/community relationships) and spiritual health dimensions (eg, understanding one’s body and purpose) to improve health behaviors. ; Conclusion ; The perspectives of African American adults and adolescents elicited through this formative research provided a strong foundation for Heart Healthy Lenoir’s ongoing engagement of community members in Lenoir County and development and implementation of its intervention to prevent cardiovascular disease.
• Subjects:
  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior
  • Adult
  • Black or African American/psychology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases/ethnology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control
  • Cardiovascular Diseases/psychology
  • Community-Based Participatory Research
  • Community-Institutional Relations
  • Decision Making
  More +
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 12.
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.150062
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  26425868
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4591620
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  NIH 2010/2011 NICHD T32HD/PHS HHS/United States ; P50HL105184/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; T32AI007001/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina
• Volume:
  12
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/34795/cdc_34795_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 561.80 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c85b5433aa46d2339f277b5441938babab3fe16b8003200baee15aee37675f19d5667a6d10232cdd66cf06325fa51eb7cd1db62a125bba79f1932c9849165b6b