Community-Based Participatory Design of a Decade: The FAITH! Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Program

LaPrincess Brewer^1*Mathias Lalika²Ashley N. Kyalwazi³Monica Albertie⁴Janice Bowie⁵Ashya Ashya Burgess Burgess⁶Lora E. Burke⁷Brian Buta⁸Lisa A. Cooper⁹Deidra C. Crews⁹Chyke A. Doubeni¹⁰Walé Elegbede^11,12Jamia Erickson¹³Sarah Jenkins¹⁴Jacquelyn Johnson,¹⁵Clarence Jones¹⁶Ashton Krogman¹⁷Lainey Moen¹⁷Michael Palmer¹⁸Christi Patten¹⁹Sumedha Penheiter²⁰Monisha W. Richard²¹Princess Titus²²Sueling Schardin²³Stanton Shanedling²⁴Jeremy R Van't Hof²⁵David Warner^19,26Jennifer Weis¹⁹Sharonne N Hayes¹⁷

• ¹Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ²Department of Cadiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Michigan, United States
• ³Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
• ⁴Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, United States
• ⁵Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States
• ⁶Division of Hematology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ⁷School of Nursing, Department of Health and Community Systems, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
• ⁸Center on Aging and Health, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
• ⁹Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
• ¹⁰Department of Family and Community Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States
• ¹¹Strategy Management Services, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ¹²National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Rochester, United States
• ¹³Thrivent Financial, Incorporated, Rochester, United States
• ¹⁴Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Rochester, United States
• ¹⁵Christ’s Church of the Jesus Hour, Rochester, United States
• ¹⁶Hue-Man Partnership, Minneapolis, United States
• ¹⁷Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ¹⁸Revival Home Health and Hospice, Baltimore, United States
• ¹⁹Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ²⁰Strategy Operations, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
• ²¹The Linc, Minneapolis, United States
• ²²Appetite For Change, Minneapolis, United States
• ²³American Heart Association, Eagan, United States
• ²⁴Minnesota Department of Health, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Unit, Minnesota, United States
• ²⁵Cardiovascular Division and Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, United States
• ²⁶Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States

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.