Emotional Stability on Chicago’s South Side

Addressing Depression among African American Adults with Hypertension Applying Community-Engaged Implementation Science

At least 1 in 4 adults with hypertension also has depression. The rate of depression is even higher among African American adults compared to white adults with hypertension. Depression is associated with worse blood pressure control, poorer adherence to antihypertensive medications, and ultimately poorer cardiovascular disease outcomes. Thus, treating depression has great potential to improve hypertension outcomes and address cardiovascular disease disparities among African Americans. An important limitation of available evidence-based interventions is that they are not adapted for the context in which they are implemented, thereby reducing their effectiveness and reach.

This project proposes to:

1. use health informatics to characterize the contextual factors that influence depression, hypertension, and their association among African Americans on the South Side of Chicago, a community with significant cardiovascular disease disparities
2. collaborate with community partners to select an evidence-based, culturally appropriate intervention for depression and adapt it for the implementation context; and
3. pilot the adapted intervention among African American adults with depression and hypertension on the South Side of Chicago

By collaborating closely with community partners to adapt the intervention for the context, the resulting implementation protocol holds great potential to extend the reach of and engagement in the intervention. The implementation and effectiveness results will increase specificity and competitiveness of a subsequent grant proposal to conduct a full-scale trial.

Project Details

• Dates: January 2024 – December 2028
• Funding source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Grant number: K23HL168234

Contact

• Principal investigator: Allison Carroll, PhD
• Updates: https://tinyurl.com/emotionalstability