Abstract
Background: African Americans are less likely than nonHispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression. Objective: To develop and pilot test a culturally tailored, community-based, psychoeducational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African Americans. Methods: Participants were African Americans with moderate depressive symptoms who were interested in exercise but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psychoeducational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and postintervention surveys and postintervention feedback sessions. Results: Twenty-one African Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found a large reduction in depressive symptoms, with mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores dropping from 14.8 to 7.1(p<.0001), and increases in exercise and depression self-efficacy and behaviors. Conclusions: This pilot study offers promising preliminary evidence to inform further research on the use of community-based, culturally tailored wellness programs to address depression.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 145-152 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- African americans
- Community-based participatory research
- Communitybased programs
- Culturally tailored interventions
- Depression
- Exercise
- Health promotion
- Self-management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Education
- Sociology and Political Science