Techquity by FAITH! – A Community-Engaged Study Leveraging Digital Health Tools to Advance Cardiovascular Health in African Americans

We’re excited to share news from one of our collaborations!

The Techquity by FAITH! (Fostering African American Improvement in Total Health) Project is a community-engaged study focused on improving cardiovascular health and advancing digital health equity (when everyone has fair and equal access to and benefits from digital health technologies, regardless of their background or circumstances) in African American communities. The study seeks to evaluate the impact of the FAITH! App, a culturally-tailored mobile health intervention, enhanced through the training and integration of Digital Health Advocates (DHAs) who are members of each church, to improve heart health and digital health equity.
This innovative study addresses health disparities by combining mobile technology with trusted community engagement, specifically through African American churches in Minnesota. Key goals of the study include:

• Promoting cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 concept/measures for attaining and maintaining cardiovascular health;
• Promoting cardiovascular health using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 concept/measures for attaining and maintaining cardiovascular health;
• Empowering trusted community leaders to provide peer guidance.

Approach

This is a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted across African American churches in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul and surrounding areas) and Southeastern Minnesota (Rochester). Participants use the FAITH! App, receive Fitbit activity trackers, and track heart health habits for one year. Those who are from churches assigned to the intensive intervention receive additional guidance from DHAs. The intervention is evaluated over a 12-month period to capture changes in cardiovascular health and digital health engagement.

This trial was built on a strong foundation of more than a decade of collaboration within a community-academic partnership. Before launching the randomized controlled trial, the research team used principles of community-based participatory research and innovative methods to engage with community members, including involvement of a community steering committee, in-person health promotion events, online meetings and social media communications.  African American churches, which played a central role in the trial’s design and implementation, were engaged early to co-create a culturally tailored digital health equity toolkit through a series of focus groups with community members. To further strengthen support and engagement, trusted faith leaders were trained as DHAs to serve as peer mentors and guide participants in using the FAITH! App. This intentional process of community co-design and peer-led support laid the groundwork for sustained engagement, cultural relevance, and digital health readiness throughout the intervention period.

The Impact So Far

• Virtual and church-based DHA trainings, completed in the fall of 2024, are empowering members within the community.
• The study completed recruitment of 148 participants from 18 churches in February 2025; churches were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups and participants were assigned based on their church to either the DHA intervention (74 participants) or the control intervention (74 participants).
• The 11-week intervention phase occurred March-May 2025. Participants in the active intervention group are now in the maintenance phase, and the study is now conducting follow-up assessments on participants in both intervention groups.
• Events in Rochester and Minneapolis brought together churchgoers, local leaders, and advocates for hands-on health education (See photos below); and
• Techquity by FAITH! is showing that when technology is paired with trusted community voices, real health change is possible.

Who Is Involved

• Principal Investigator: Dr. LaPrincess C. Brewer, MD, MPH – Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and a former Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity trainee;
• Co-Investigators: Drs. Lisa Cooper (Founding Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity), Demilade Adedinsewo, Sharonne Hayes, Celia Kamath and Christi Patten (Mayo Clinic); and
• Collaborators: Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc., Northstar Digital Literacy, and Community leaders and advocates from participating churches.

Funding

Funding is provided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) through C2DREAM, one of the Centers in the NIH Health Equity Action Network, of which MACCHE is also a part.

You can learn more about this project at faith4heart.com or Project 5 — C2DREAM.