Collaborate and Leverage Evidence in African American Rural Network (Co-LEARN)
Project names
Full project name
Collaborate and Leverage Evidence in African American Rural Network
Short project name
Co-LEARN
Project description
Collaborate and Leverage Evidence in African American Rural Network (Co-LEARN) is an evidence-based cardiovascular disease prevention program to reduce the burden of heart disease and its risks in rural North Carolina counties. Co-LEARN has two components: a learning collaborative and Heart Matters.
The Leaning Collaborative engages community members to collaborate in addressing these barriers. Small groups of community members will work together to develop strategies for implementation of Heart Matters. These groups will build a foundational blueprint that builds organizational readiness, strengthens connection networks, and increases the efficacy of Heart Matters.
Heart Matters is a 12-month, comprehensive lifestyle modification education program focused on diet and exercise to improve blood pressure outcomes and decrease heart disease risk. The program uses interactive individual and group educational sessions to help participants learn new information (e.g., heart disease risk factors), build new skills (e.g., heart-healthy recipes), and set and track their goals (e.g., physical activity) over time. Sessions are led by community-based facilitators trained to deliver the program. Facilitators can include teachers, coaches, clergy members, and health professionals like nutritionists, nurses, and personal trainers. Based on the previous Heart Matters feasibility study, this program is tailored for rural African American communities. Co-LEARN is funded through National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant R01HL157255.
Project keywords
Health Disparities, Rural Health, African Americans, Cardiovascular Disease, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Healthy Communities
Objective
The Co-LEARN project focuses on mitigating the disparate incidence of heart disease in rural African American populations in Eastern North Carolina. The study has two key parts: the formation of a Learning Collaborative and the the implementation of Heart Matters (see project description).Through the Learning Collaborative, the project intends to develop strategies that predict and overcome barriers to successful implementation of Heart Matters and thus successfully adapt the intervention to a rural setting.
Study Team/Roles
Principal Investigator (PI)
- Gaurav Dave, MD, DrPH, MPH
Co-Investigators (Co-PIs)
- Elizabeth Chen, Ph.D.,MPH
- Giselle Corbie, MD, M.Sc.
- Leah Frerichs, Ph.D.
- Kristen Hassmiller-Lich, Ph.D.
- Shirley McFarlin, B.A.
- Jesslyn Pope, MSW
- Byron Powell, Ph.D.
- Mysha Wynn, M.A., M.S., LCMHC-A, SAP
Research Program Manager
- Erika Redding, Ph.D., MSPH
Research Coordinators
- Katrina Blunt, B.S.
- Kristen Witkemper, MPH
Research Assistants
- Anna Gilbert, B.S.
- Veena Reddy, B.S.
- Aditi Yerra
Partner Organizations
- Project Momentum, Inc.
- James McFarlin Community Development
- Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rocky Mount
- Washington University in St. Louis
Contact Info
Research Coordinator, Kristen Witkemper, MPH