# The Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity Trial (TEAM-PA)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2024 · $715,326

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
African American (AA) women experience disproportionately higher rates of chronic diseases compared to White
women, including being twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Physical activity (PA) is a key
protective factor for reducing risk for chronic diseases, yet only 35% of AA women meet national PA guidelines.
Persistent disparities in chronic disease and pre-mature death among African American women across the adult
lifespan highlight the need for developing effective interventions for increasing PA among AA women. We
propose that community settings hold tremendous promise as an important context for reaching AA women, but
the role of social affiliation has been understudied in past community-based interventions as a key mechanism
for engaging AA women in long-term PA. A variety of theories have highlighted the importance of social affiliation
for health promotion and have defined social affiliation through several distinct but related constructs. Social
Cognitive Theory (SCT) proposes that the group context promotes social learning and collective efficacy, while
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Group Dynamics Theory (GDT) have emphasized the importance of
positive interactions between group members in order to promote relatedness, reciprocal support, and group
cohesion. Social affiliation within group-based programs may be especially important to AA women, given that
collectivism (belief in the importance of advancing the group over the individual) is a prominent cultural value for
many AAs. Despite converging evidence highlighting the importance of social affiliation from a motivational and
cultural perspective, this factor has been minimally integrated within intervention designs and rarely targeted as
a central mechanism for increasing PA. Our investigative team provides strong preliminary data for expanding
on previous community-based PA interventions for inactive AA women by targeting social affiliation through a
combination of collaborative and competitive strategies. Drawing from SDT, SCT, GDT, and a cultural values
framework, The Together Everyone Achieve More Physical Activity (TEAM-PA) trial evaluates the efficacy of a
group-based social affiliation intervention (vs. a standard group-delivered PA comparison program) for increasing
PA among inactive AA women. Using a group cohort randomized design implemented at community centers
across five years, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the 10-week TEAM-PA group-based
intervention (vs. comparison program) on increasing accelerometry-assessed minutes per day of total PA (light
to vigorous activities) from baseline to post-intervention and maintenance at a 6-month follow-up [Primary Aim
1]. Additionally, we will evaluate the impact of the TEAM-PA intervention on secondary outcomes (percentage
meeting national recommendations for PA, light PA, sedentary behavior, body mass index, blood pressure)
[Secondary Aims 1-2] and pot...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10756096
- **Project number:** 5R01HL160618-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Marie Sweeney
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $715,326
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-01-15 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10756096

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10756096, The Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity Trial (TEAM-PA) (5R01HL160618-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10756096. Licensed CC0.

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