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.