BeFit Toolbox Collaboration: Building Empowerment Through Fitness (BEFIT)

This project will identify the causative behavioral factors in low-income African American women leading to sedentarism, a major source of morbidity in HABD communities. Working with our partner, WUCN, we will engage with women in HABD housing to develop and (later) deliver a physical activity education program (BeFit) customized for this population.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Women's Health; Low-Income Population
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: What I Learned at Home

Detailed Description

Despite clear evidence of improved health outcomes with regular exercise (see Bliss et al., 2021; Kleinloog et al., 20,22 for recent reviews), national statistics suggest that a mere 48% of Americans meet the recommended levels of physical activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018). Alarmingly, fewer than 30% of African American women living in public housing meet these recommended levels, marking the lowest rate among all demographic groups (Lee & Im, 2010; Hilland et al., 2020). Cerebrovascular disease in this population is increasing in prevalence, as is early presentation underscoring the urgent need for innovative, culturally relevant strategies to promote and study the effects of physical activity engagement within this under-resourced community (Turney et al., 2022; Zuellsdorf et al., 2020). However, developing relevant research-based interventions requires understanding and adapting specific programs to local public housing challenges (Casagrande et al., 2008). Mistrust is the primary barrier to relationship development in this population, and engagement with an established community partner is critical for local implementation. This proposal aims to develop a physical activity education program for women at high risk of disease to promote healthy lifestyles and mitigate the risk of neurological pathology.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 46
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Eligibility criteria for participants are as follows: female, at least 18 years of age, mothers of school-aged children (K-12), tenants of HABD in good standing with a minimum of one year of stable living arrangements, and availability during program hours.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to understand study instructions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: What I Learned at Home; What I Learned at Home is a self-efficacy behavioral intervention that will help provide the framework of implementation for the BeFIT program in the future. The BeFIT program will be a component of the WILAH framework.	Behavioral: What I Learned at Home; What I Learned at Home is a self-efficacy intervention intended to build home repair and management skills while improving performance self-efficacy.; Other Names: WILAH

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Barriers to Physical Activity Self-Report	Report of barriers to engagement in physical activity	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Kim McCall, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bliss ES, Wong RH, Howe PR, Mills DE. Benefits of exercise training on cerebrovascular and cognitive function in ageing. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Mar;41(3):447-470. doi: 10.1177/0271678X20957807. Epub 2020 Sep 20.
• Kleinloog JPD, Nijssen KMR, Mensink RP, Joris PJ. Effects of Physical Exercise Training on Cerebral Blood Flow Measurements: A Systematic Review of Human Intervention Studies. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2022 Sep 27;33(1):47-59. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2022-0085. Print 2023 Jan 1.
• Craike M, Bourke M, Hilland TA, Wiesner G, Pascoe MC, Bengoechea EG, Parker AG. Correlates of Physical Activity Among Disadvantaged Groups: A Systematic Review. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Nov;57(5):700-715. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.06.021.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 27, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 16, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical Activity; Women's Health; Health Disparities; Behavior Change
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-300012108; IRB Designation (Other Identifier: UAB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No