# Informing Cardiovascular Disease Prevention among Rural Appalachian Women: A Community-Engaged Mixed Method Study

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $22,362

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
In Appalachia, a largely rural and low socioeconomic status region, premature mortality rates are 25 percent
higher than all US counties.1,2 Appalachian populations have significantly higher rates of heart disease
mortality compared to national averages,3 including high rates for women.4,5 With high proportions of
uncontrolled risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD),6-8 the need for strategies to increase CVD
screening rates among rural Appalachian women is a public health priority.9 A comprehensive exploration of
the complex and interconnected barriers and facilitators for CVD preventative screenings is required to better
understand decision-making.10,11 Recommended screening for CVD covers physiologic tests (e.g., cholesterol,
blood pressure) and self-reported behaviors (e.g., smoking, physical activity).12,13 However, the completion and
follow-up from screenings by rural Appalachian women remains low.11 This research builds upon available
Appalachian disparity research, which suggests a range of interconnected factors combine to affect screening
decision-making by rural Appalachian women.14-27 As a gap exists between knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs
and screening behavior,17,20,26 this mixed method study consists of context-specific strategies to uncover
interconnections between individual, social, and environmental levels and to inform interventions to increase
CVD preventative screenings by rural Appalachian women.17,18 Through a novel community-engaged mixed
method approach of combining spatial analysis and concept mapping, this research aims to: 1) Assess the
association of county-level resource distribution and cardiovascular health outcomes for women to identify
varying patterns among the rural Appalachian counties of PA and 2) Identify community perceptions of the
range of barriers and facilitators to the receipt of preventive CVD screenings by rural Appalachian women. The
proposed study will inform the Healthy People 2020 goal to assess health disparities in relation to demographic
factors such as gender, SES, and geographic location28 and will address NHLBI’s critical challenges to further
explore sex/gender-specificity in research and to advance methods for characterizing exposures to understand
differences in health among populations.29 To facilitate this research, I will undertake educational and training
opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in: 1) CVD prevention among women, 2) spatial analysis, 3)
concept mapping methodology, 4) the role of environmental and community-level factors that affect rural
women’s health in the Appalachian region, and 5) expand skills in action-oriented research with community
partners. I will conduct the proposed research with support from a dedicated and multi-disciplinary mentorship
team in a resource-rich environment at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon successful completion of this
fellowship, I will be well-poised to meet my long-term goals of attaining a ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9981495
- **Project number:** 5F31HL143871-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Jessica Ruth Thompson
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $22,362
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2021-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9981495

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9981495, Informing Cardiovascular Disease Prevention among Rural Appalachian Women: A Community-Engaged Mixed Method Study (5F31HL143871-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9981495. Licensed CC0.

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