Abstract P377: The Restore Health Equity Research Network: An American Heart Association-Funded Initiative to Prevent Hypertension in Black Communities

Abstract

Introduction: The RESTORE Network is an American Heart Association-funded health equity research network that is testing the implementation of evidence-based interventions for hypertension prevention in community settings. The goals are to: (1) Work with Black communities to mitigate the negative impact of social determinants of health on blood pressure (BP) in Black adults; (2) Develop and test strategies for implementing evidence-based lifestyle interventions in Black communities; (3) Disseminate findings to policy makers, payors and stakeholders to promote adoption of effective hypertension prevention strategies in Black communities; and (4) Train early-career scientists in health equity and hypertension research. Methods: RESTORE Network investigators across eight institutions are conducting five hybrid implementation-effectiveness trials to test scalable, sustainable, and potentially cost-effective implementation strategies to mitigate adverse social determinants of health that contribute to the high prevalence of hypertension in Black communities. The implementation strategies include the use of: 1) trained community health workers (Alabama, Baltimore, Detroit); 2) community-based organizations as portals of food access and patient navigation (New York City, Alabama, Boston, Detroit); 3) patient activation via home BP monitoring (Baltimore); and 4) digital technologies (Baltimore, Detroit). The social determinants of health targeted are: poor access to care, low health literacy, food insecurity, barriers to physical activity, neighborhood deprivation, under-insurance, and inadequate linkage to medical and social services. The five projects are based on the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, and evaluation of each implementation strategy is guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) implementation research framework. The projects are supported by five highly-integrated cores (BP Measurement, Statistical, Intervention, Community Engagement, Training). RESTORE will advance the career of early stage investigators in hypertension, health equity, implementation science and community-engaged research; trainees will work on network projects, develop their own projects, complete rotations across network sites, and attend lectures and workshops. Synergy across projects will facilitate economic and scale-up analyses to inform policy makers on the strategies being tested. Discussion: The RESTORE Network will advance health equity in the U.S. by identifying community-driven, sustainable and effective implementation strategies to deliver lifestyle interventions that prevent hypertension in Black adults. The strong infrastructure of the network will support new collaborations and ancillary studies that are aligned with our mission.