People with serious mental illness face greater rates of chronic illness and obesity compared to those without mental illness. These rates are... Show morePeople with serious mental illness face greater rates of chronic illness and obesity compared to those without mental illness. These rates are disproportionately higher for those who are part of racially minoritized groups. For example, African Americans are more likely to be obese compared to their white counterparts. This study sought to test a diet and exercise program—developed through community-based participatory research—called “Behaviors for Healthy Lifestyles” (BHL) for African Americans with serious mental illness and weight concerns. The impact of this program, also combined with peer health navigation (PHN), was tested on various physical and mental health outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to either integrated-care treatment as usual (IC-TAU), BHL, or BHL+PHN. Data was collected at baseline, 4-month, 8-month, and 12-month follow up for outcomes measuring general health, bodily pain, physical functioning, emotional well-being, depression, recovery, quality of life, weight efficacy, and emotional eating. Monthly data collection was also conducted on frequency of healthy lifestyle behaviors related to diet and physical activity. Findings from group by trial analyses of variance on these outcomes did not show any significant impact. Implications for testing diet and exercise interventions combined with PHN for this population are discussed along with future research considerations related to increasing attendance and participation for greater health improvements. Show less
