Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Characteristics of Women Lost to Follow-Up in Cardiovascular Community Health Interventions: Findings from the Sister to Sister Campaign

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Community-based interventions (CBI) have been targeted as a potential means of tackling cardiovascular disease in women. However, there have been mixed results in terms of their impact on health, with at least some of this being attributed to high attrition rates. This study explores factors that may be contributing to the low retention of women in cardiovascular CBIs. In 2009, Sister to Sister, a national organization that sponsors community health fairs, provided free cardiovascular health screenings for a total of 9,443 women nationwide. All participants were invited to enroll in a 1 year, survey-based observational study to assess the effectiveness of these community health screenings. Of these 9,443 women, 5.9 % actively participated in the follow-up study. Participants were more likely to have health insurance (75.5 vs. 65.3 %, p < 0.001), have an annual income above 75,000 dollars (26.7 vs. 19.7 %, p < 0.001), and identify themselves as white (50.0 vs. 31.5 %, p < 0.001). They were also more likely to have hypertension (32.1 vs. 27.4 %, p = 0.018) and metabolic syndrome (35.7 vs. 20.4 %, p < 0.001). Our results suggest that white, affluent women with health insurance and cardiovascular risk factors are more likely to engage in CBIs that require longitudinal assessment. This study gives insight into the demographics, socioeconomic status, and cardiovascular comorbidities of women who participate in cardiovascular CBIs. The results may prove to be useful in understanding the biopsychosocial barriers to participation in CBIs in order to develop more effective interventions in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Heart disease facts. Accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts/html.

  2. Elder, J. P., Schmid, T. L., Dower, P., & Hedlund, S. (1993). Community heart health programs: Components, rationale, and strategies for effective interventions. Journal of Public Health Policy, 14, 463–479.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Merzel, C., & D’Afflitti, J. (2003). Reconsidering community-based health promotion: Promise, performance, and potential. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 557–574.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Dzewaltowski, D. A., Estabrooks, P. A., Klesges, L. M., Bull, S., & Glasgow, R. E. (2004). Behavior change intervention research in community settings: How generalizable are the results? Health Promotion International, 19, 235–245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Adult Treatment Panel III. (2001). Executive summary of the third report of The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001(285), 2486–2497.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Carey, M., Markham, C., Gaffney, P., Boran, C., & Maher, V. (2006). Validation of a point of care lipid analyser using a hospital based reference laboratory. Irish Journal of Medical Sciences, 175, 30–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. The National Institutes of Health. (1993). The National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993. Accessed at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm.

  8. Heiat, A., Gross, C. P., & Krumholz, H. M. (2002). Representation of the elderly, women, and minorities in heart failure clinical trials. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 1682–1688.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Ejiogu, N., Norbeck, J. H., Mason, M. A., Cromwell, B. C., Zonderman, A. B., & Evans, M. K. (2011). Recruitment and retention strategies for minority or poor clinical research participants: Lessons from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. Gerontologist, 51(Suppl 1), S33–S45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Wireless internet use. (2009). Accessed September 19, 2012, at www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/12-Wireless-Internet-Use/1-Summary-of-Findings/1-Summary-of-Findings.aspx).

  11. Nicholson, L. M., Schwirian, P. M., Klein, E. G., et al. (2011). Recruitment and retention strategies in longitudinal clinical studies with low-income populations. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 32, 353–362.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Sprafka, J. M., Burke, G. L., Folsom, A. R., & Hahn, L. P. (1989). Hypercholesterolemia prevalence, awareness, and treatment in blacks and whites: The Minnesota Heart Survey. Preventive Medicine, 18, 423–432.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nieto, F. J., Alonso, J., Chambless, L. E., et al. (1995). Population awareness and control of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Archives of Internal Medicine, 155, 677–684.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Harris, M. I., Flegal, K. M., Cowie, C. C., et al. (1998). Prevalence of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, and impaired glucose tolerance in U.S. adults. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994. Diabetes Care, 21, 518–524.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ayanian, J. Z., Zaslavsky, A. M., Weissman, J. S., Schneider, E. C., & Ginsburg, J. A. (2003). Undiagnosed hypertension and hypercholesterolemia among uninsured and insured adults in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 2051–2054.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to JoAnne M. Foody.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Naderi, S., Johnson, C.E., Rodriguez, F. et al. Characteristics of Women Lost to Follow-Up in Cardiovascular Community Health Interventions: Findings from the Sister to Sister Campaign. J Community Health 38, 458–462 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9644-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-012-9644-y

Keywords

Navigation