Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded the University of Connecticut a Project Grant of $163,062 (awarded July 10, 2026; completion date June 30, 2031) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to develop and test a stress- and acceptance-based weight gain prevention (WGP) intervention tailored for Black women. This K01 career development award addresses a significant health disparity, as existing behavioral weight loss approaches have been developed primarily for white women and produce suboptimal outcomes in Black women. The intervention shifts focus from weight loss to weight stability, aligning with Black women's sociocultural preferences and potentially improving treatment uptake while supporting cardiovascular and metabolic health equity.

The project will deliver research outputs across three primary aims: (1) examining relationships between physical activity, psychosocial, and environmental variables using existing cohort data; (2) developing and refining stress management and acceptance-based behavioral treatment components with 60 Black women participants; and (3) evaluating participants' experiences with the intervention components and their associations with weight-related behaviors. The award includes four integrated training goals to build the investigator's expertise in intervention optimization methodology, positioning the research to advance evidence-based, culturally responsive approaches to obesity prevention in a population with documented disparities in obesity prevalence and health outcomes.