Exploring the intervention effect moderators of a cardiovascular health promotion study among rural African-Americans.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this analysis was to examine the participant characteristics that served as intervention effect moderators of a cardiovascular health promotion intervention study.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE: This exploratory study was a secondary analysis of data collected during a cluster randomized controlled trial. The participants (n = 229) of the study were African-American adults recruited from 12 rural churches that were randomized to intervention (n = 6) and control (n = 6) groups. There were 115 individual participants in the intervention group, and 114 in the control group.

MEASURES: Cardiovascular health intentions, attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy for produce consumption, dietary fat intake, and exercise were measured to test the effect of the intervention. Linear mixed model was used to detect intervention effect moderators.

RESULTS: Personal heart disease status was a moderator of intervention effects for intentions, norms, and self-efficacy regarding dietary fat intake and attitudes about produce consumption. Lacking a family heart disease history was a moderator for dietary fat intake self-efficacy, and age was a dietary fat norms moderator.

CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about the moderators that influenced intervention outcomes can assist public health nurses in tailoring health promotion programs for underserved populations that can be implemented in community settings.