Administrative Supplement to Modify Culturally-Relevant Recipes for Low-Income African American Women

Hypertension affects 122.4 million Americans, and African American (AA) women have significantly higher hypertension estimates (58.4%) compared to White (42.6%), Asian (37.6%), and Hispanic (35.3%) women, resulting in a disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In the parent G08 study for this administrative supplement, “DASH-ing to Heart Health: Supporting low-income African American women with an interactive Meals that Heal resource book,” we proposed creating a useful and usable resource, Meals that Heal, that increases awareness/knowledge of hypertension and improves ease of following a DASH diet by providing culturally-relevant and low-cost DASH recipes that low-income African American women can utilize when making heart-healthy food choices. DASH recipes in the parent award were compiled from existing peer- reviewed publications and government, academic, and professional organizations. Although the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular disease risk factors, there is a lack of available health information on how to follow a feasible DASH diet for low-income AA women (such as those who live in public housing) who may be at the most risk for hypertension because of poor social determinants of health. To preserve the project''s overall impact of reaching the full spectrum of populations, we propose new research aims in this supplement to develop new culturally relevant low-cost DASH recipes. In addition, the parent award recruited study participants from a public housing community in central Kentucky, limiting the generalizability (external validity) of the Meals that Heal resource. In this supplement, we will increase our findings'' generalizability by recruiting study participants from additional public housing in a large Midwestern city with similar sociodemographic characteristics. The aims of this supplemental request are to: (1) identify preferred culturally-relevant recipes of low-income AA women by conducting qualitative interviews; (2) modify the culturally relevant recipes to follow DASH guidelines and fit within a financially constrained food budget; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of Meals that Heal, with the modified culturally relevant low-cost DASH recipes, at increasing DASH knowledge and the likelihood of using DASH recipes among low-income AA women. This supplemental project is significant because the findings will increase the availability of culturally relevant and low-cost DASH recipes for a health disparity population and increase the generalizability of Meals that Heal. This knowledge can improve adherence to the DASH diet and the effectiveness of existing interventions, which is critical to reducing hypertension disparities. Specifically, the results of this supplemental project will allow future studies to identify evidence-based strategies to reduce blood pressure and hypertension risk.