The impact of the Prime Time Sister Circles® (PTSC) on blood pressure of low-income mid-life African American women in the United States.

Abstract

There is a pressing need to develop and evaluate culturally tailored, community-based interventions that address hypertension management among low-income African American women. We employed a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of the Prime Time Sister Circles® Program in reducing blood pressure and body mass index among low-income African American women ages with hypertension. Study participants (N = 339) were African American women aged 40-75 years who were diagnosed with hypertension and received their primary care at government funded health centers in Washington, D.C. Compared to the usual care group, Prime Time Sister Circles® participation was associated with a reduction in systolic BP by - 2.45 (CI - 6.13, 1.23) mmHg, a reduction in diastolic BP by - 3.66 mmHg (CI - 6.32, - 0.99), and a change in BMI by - 0.26 (CI - 2.00, 1.48) from baseline to 15 months. The results suggest that culturally tailored community-based interventions can improve hypertension management in low-income women.