(P16-028-25) Baseline Data and Design of a Pilot Nutrition Education Program to Improve Dietary Intake and Chronic Disease Risk Factors in African Americans with Multiple Chronic Condition

Objectives: African Americans develop multiple chronic conditions at an earlier age, which share most of the same risk factors, including poor diet and physical inactivity. The primary objective of this study is to test the effectiveness of a culturally tailored nutrition education program in improving dietary intake and decreasing cardiometabolic markers.

Methods: NUTRITION MATTERS is a 12-week, culturally tailored nutrition education program comprising weekly educational sessions on the connection between chronic conditions and how nutrition can impact chronic disease development and management. Sessions include cooking demonstrations focused on healthy versions of southern food, and participants receive weekly food provisions corresponding to the cooking demonstration. Dietary intake, nutrition behavior, and cardiometabolic markers (HbA1C, blood pressure, blood lipid profile) will be collected pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up.

Results: 26 African American participants with multiple chronic conditions (85% female) enrolled in NUTRITION MATTERS. The average age of participants was 58.1 ± 8.2 years, 38% had a diagnosis of diabetes, 46% with pre-diabetes, 65% with hypertension, and 88% were obese (average BMI: 38.9 ± 7.4). The average 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and calories consumed at baseline was 49.0 ± 14.3 and 1601.4 ± 506.2, respectively.

Conclusions: The results of this study will inform next steps towards future implementation and evaluation of culturally tailored nutrition education programs aimed at improving chronic disease risk factors in African Americans with multiple chronic conditions.

Funding Sources: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U24DK132715. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.