Community-based participatory design of a decade: the FAITH! Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Program
The FAITH! (Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health) Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Program is more than a decade-long community-based participatory research initiative aimed at addressing cardiovascular health disparities among African-Americans in Minnesota. Founded in 2013, the program employs a culturally tailored, community-driven approach by partnering with African-American faith communities to promote cardiovascular health through education, digital health tools, and multilevel interventions targeting the social determinants of health. Grounded in community-based participatory research principles, FAITH! prioritizes equitable academic-community partnerships, co-learning, community capacity building, and shared ownership in all aspects of research and implementation. The program's exemplary innovations include the NIH-funded FAITH! Trial, a randomized clinical trial, testing a mobile health intervention (the FAITH! App) co-created with the African-American community, and the Techquity by FAITH! study. Techquity by FAITH! evaluates the effectiveness of a culturally relevant, community-informed mHealth intervention supported by a Digital Health Advocate network to improve overall cardiovascular health and digital health literacy. During its evolution, FAITH! has addressed emergent public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, by adapting programming to provide emergency preparedness resources, health education, and vaccine outreach. Key outcomes include sustainable church-based health ministries, increased research participation, and successful translation of research into practice. The program has also contributed to research workforce development by mentoring and training diverse early-career scholars and community leaders in community-based participatory research and cardiovascular health equity research. Lessons learned highlight the transformative impact of community-based participatory research in building trust, facilitating culturally relevant dissemination, and sustaining health equity initiatives. The FAITH! model demonstrates a scalable, community-led strategy for advancing cardiovascular health in underserved populations and provides a blueprint for future initiatives aiming to reduce racial health disparities.
Authors
- Brian Buta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-2456)
- Chyke A. Doubeni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7495-0285)
- Stanton Shanedling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6309-5880)
- Jeremy Van’t Hof (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9982-3685)
- Janice Bowie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1226-2855)
- Monica Albertie
- Sarah M. Jenkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4157-8066)
- Jamia Erickson
- Clarence Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9030-2368)
- Monisha Richard
- Ashley Kyalwazi
- Deidra C. Crews (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3425-5776)
- Michael W. Palmer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1452-2152)
- Princess Titus
- Christi A. Patten (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7194-8160)
- Jerry Johnson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9155-2617)
- Sumedha G. Penheiter
- Lora E. Burke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2434-9867)
- David O. Warner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0365-2536)
- Sueling Schardin
- Mathias Lalika (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0229-9942)
- LaPrincess C. Brewer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6468-9324)
- Sharonne N. Hayes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3129-362X)
- Lisa A. Cooper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6707-6390)
- Ashton Krogman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9988-4958)
- Jennifer A. Weis
- Ashya Burgess
- Lainey Moen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4466-8336)
- Walé Elegbede
Institutions
- American Heart Association (US)
- Bloomberg (United States) (US)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (US)
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Heart and Stroke Foundation (CA)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (US)
- United Church of Christ (US)
- WinnMed (US)
- Thrivent Financial (US)
- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (US)
- Living Independently Now Center (US)
- Cancer Clinic (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US)
- Hmong American Partnership (US)
- Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (US)
- University of Minnesota Medical Center (US)
- IT for Change (IN)
- Minnesota Department of Health (US)
- Mayo Clinic in Florida (US)
- Hospice UK (GB)
- University of San Francisco (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Public Health
- Published
- 2025-09-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1622237
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Cardiovascular Health and Risk Factors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.39
Funders
- American Heart Association
- Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Gilead Sciences
- University of Minnesota
- Johns Hopkins University
- Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance
- National Institutes of Health
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities