A Community-Based Wellness Program to Reduce Depression in African Americans: Results From a Pilot Intervention

Background African-Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression. Objective To develop and pilot-test a culturally-tailored, community-based, psycho-educational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African-Americans. Methods Participants were African-Americans with moderate depressive symptoms, who were interested in exercise, but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psycho-educational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention feedback sessions. Results 21 African-Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found a large reduction in depressive symptoms, with mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores dropping from 14.8 to 7.1 (p Conclusions This pilot-study offers promising preliminary evidence to inform further research on the use of community-based, culturally tailored wellness programs to address depression