A clinic-community partnership providing structured fitness programming to 93 safety-net patients yielded favorable trends in weight and blood pressure, despite transportation and attendance barriers.
Observational (n=93)
No
Does a clinic-community linkage for structured fitness programming improve engagement, weight, and blood pressure in adult safety-net patients with cardiovascular risk factors?
A clinic-community partnership providing free fitness memberships and transportation support to safety-net patients demonstrated feasibility and favorable early trends in weight and blood pressure, though sustained engagement remains challenging.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in West Virginia, where many residents face barriers to preventive care and physical activity. Fit on 10th aimed to promote physical activity and cardiovascular health by linking patients from a free and charitable clinic with community-based exercise opportunities. Free clinic providers referred adult patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, prediabetes, or diabetes to the local community-based fitness organization for structured fitness programming. Participants received free memberships, transportation support, and tailored exercise plans. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to assess engagement, early indicators, and implementation lessons. Among 93 participants (mean age = 53.2 years; 64.5% female) with follow-up data, favorable trends were observed in weight, blood pressure, and self-reported well-being. Transportation barriers and declining attendance limited sustained engagement. This clinic-community partnership demonstrated feasibility and yielded practical lessons regarding referral workflows, transportation supports, data infrastructure, and sustained engagement that may inform similar health-promotion efforts in safety-net settings.
Baus et al. (Wed,) conducted a observational in Cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, prediabetes, or diabetes) (n=93). Fit on 10th initiative (community-based structured fitness programming) was evaluated on Engagement, early indicators (weight, blood pressure, well-being), and implementation lessons. A clinic-community partnership providing structured fitness programming to 93 safety-net patients yielded favorable trends in weight and blood pressure, despite transportation and attendance barriers.