• James R Hébert, Michael Wirth, Lisa Davis, Briana Davis, Brook E Harmon, Thomas G Hurley, Ruby Drayton, Angela MurphyEE, Nitin Shivappa, Sara Wilcox, Swann A Adams, Heather M Brandt, Christine E Blake, Cheryl A Armstead, Susan E Steck, and Steven N Blair.
• Cancer Prevention and Control Program (Hébert, Wirth, L. Davis, B. Davis, Harmon, Hurley, Drayton, Shivappa, Adams, Brandt, Armstead, Steck), Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Hébert, Wirth, Shivappa, Adams, Steck, Blair), Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina. Electronic address: jhebert@sc.edu.
• Am J Prev Med. 2013 Oct 1; 45 (4): 430440430-40.

BackgroundChronic inflammation is linked to poor lifestyle behaviors and a variety of chronic diseases that are prevalent among African Americans, especially in the southeastern U.S.PurposeThe goal of the study was to test the effect of a community-based diet, physical activity, and stress reduction intervention conducted in 2009-2012 on reducing serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in overweight and obese African-American adults.MethodsAn RCT intervention was designed jointly by members of African-American churches and academic researchers. In late 2012, regression (i.e., mixed) models were fit that included both intention-to-treat and post hoc analyses conducted to identify important predictors of intervention success. Outcomes were assessed at 3 months and 1 year.ResultsAt baseline, the 159 individuals who were recruited in 13 churches and had evaluable outcome data were, on average, obese (BMI=33.1 [±7.1]) and had a mean CRP level of 3.7 (±3.9) mg/L. Reductions were observed in waist-to-hip ratio at 3 months (2%, p=0.03) and 1 year (5%, p<0.01). In female participants attending ≥60% of intervention classes, there was a significant decrease in CRP at 3 months of 0.8 mg/L (p=0.05), but no change after 1 year. No differences were noted in BMI or interleukin-6.ConclusionsIn overweight/obese, but otherwise "healthy," African-American church members with very high baseline CRP levels, this intervention produced significant reductions in CRP at 3 and 12 months, and in waist-to-hip ratio, which is an important anthropometric predictor of overall risk of inflammation and downstream health effects.Trial RegistrationThis study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01760902.© 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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