# Health Freedom Path to Wellness: A Culturally-Relevant and Patient-Centered mHealth Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health Equity

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $201,804

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Despite decades of recognition, African Americans (AAs) and adults living in urban communities continue to
experience disproportionately higher rates of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated risk factors, such
as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease, than their representation in the general population. As
the leading cause of mortality in the US and worldwide, CVD also causes serious morbidity, disability, and
economic losses. AAs and adults living in low-income and urban communities represent particularly vulnerable
subgroups of persons burdened by major CVD risk factors and experience poorer health outcomes. These
health disparities in CVD burden and outcomes are influenced by complex sociodemographic, socioeconomic,
healthcare system, and community factors, including patient self-management behaviors, utilization and quality
of health services, provider-patient communication, healthy food availability, education, and social support.
Effective strategies for CVD risk reduction and self-management behaviors include self-blood pressure (BP)
monitoring, lifestyle changes (including healthy diet and physical activity habits), adherence to medications,
and shared medical decision-making. These strategies represent a cornerstone of recommended care for CVD
risk reduction and have been associated with significant improvements in CVD control among treated patients.
Our primary study goal is to adapt an existing evidence-based, face-to-face, CVD educational and behavioral
strategy intervention, the Health Freedom Circle of Friends program, into a mobile health (mHealth)
intervention. The two-phase project will use principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR),
human-centered computing, and personal informatics to develop a culturally-sensitive educational and
behavioral mHealth intervention to promote CVD risk reduction and self-management behaviors among AAs
and other groups disproportionately burdened by CVD (phase 1) and later test the mHealth intervention’s
acceptability, usability, and satisfaction among key stakeholders (phase 2). We will use a mixed-methods,
user-centered design approach to identify goals, needs, challenges, and preferences for participating in the
culturally-sensitive, community-based mHealth personal informatics tool to promote CVD health equity. Aim 1
will establish patients’ needs and preferences for a community-based mHealth intervention tool to support CVD
prevention and self-management using semi-structured interviews. Aim 2 will design a culturally-sensitive
mHealth intervention prototype and tailor content using an iterative process within sequential in-person
participatory design workshops. Aim 3 will assess the acceptability, usability, and satisfaction of the mHealth
tool within a feasibility study among AAs and other groups disproportionately burdened by CVD. Our existing
community stakeholder advisory board will provide input throughout all study phases. Our proposed stud...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10454999
- **Project number:** 5R21NR019702-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Aqueasha Martin Hammond
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $201,804
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-21 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10454999

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10454999, Health Freedom Path to Wellness: A Culturally-Relevant and Patient-Centered mHealth Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health Equity (5R21NR019702-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10454999. Licensed CC0.

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