Training religious leaders to help lower blood pressure in Tanzanian communities
Engaging Religious Leaders to Reduce Blood Pressures in Tanzanian Communities
Local religious leaders in Tanzanian communities are being trained to help adults learn about high blood pressure, get screened, and take steps to lower it.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11249576 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you live in a participating Tanzanian community, trusted religious leaders will be trained to talk about high blood pressure, encourage screening, and promote lifestyle changes and treatment referrals. The team will adapt a prior faith-based health program and pilot it before launching a larger cluster-randomized trial that compares communities where leaders deliver the program to those that do not. Community members’ blood pressures will be measured over time to see whether average systolic blood pressure falls in places with the intervention. The project emphasizes local partnership, culturally relevant messages, and measuring community-level health changes.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults living in the selected Tanzanian communities—especially people aged 35 and older or those with high blood pressure—are the primary candidates for the intervention and screening activities.
Not a fit: People who do not live in the participating communities, do not attend local religious gatherings, or who need specialized clinical care beyond community screening may not benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension and lower community blood pressure, reducing heart attacks and strokes.
How similar studies have performed: Related faith-based community programs have shown promise improving health behaviors, and this project builds on an established model while applying it specifically to blood pressure in a cluster-randomized design.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Downs, Jennifer Alzos — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Downs, Jennifer Alzos
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.