Community-Based Interventions Promote Heart-Healthy Behaviors

Almost half of older U.S. women (age range, 51–70) do not consume enough fruits and vegetables daily, and 70% are overweight or obese; moreover, almost 40% of middle-aged women (age range, 45–54) do not engage in leisure-time physical activity. As a result, many middle-aged and older women are at excess risk for cardiovascular disease. Investigators randomized 96 women (age, ≥40) living in rural Kansas and Arkansas to a twice-weekly, 12-week, heart-healthy program (intervention group; 61) or to no intervention (control group; 35). The in-class interventions involved 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity and encouragement of better weight control through healthful eating. All participants wore pedometers to measure habitual act…