Chronic diseases, particularly diabetes (DM), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer, pose a tremendous burden for Ohio residents, health systems, and employers. This burden is not equally distributed and mortality from these diseases is greatest among African American (AA) men. The National African American Male Wellness Initiative (AAMWI) was established in Columbus, Ohio in 2004. Through numerous events including an annual walk with health fair, the AAMWI aims to reduce premature mortality among AA males. It has become the largest health initiative in Central Ohio for AA's, spanning 5 cities in Ohio and total of 16 nationally. The Ohio State University (OSU) partners with the AAMWI to advance health equity in DM, CVD, and cancer. Through our partnership, community health workers (CHWs) and health coaches (HCs) aim to activate at-risk AA men to embrace wellness by: 1) facilitating engagement with a primary care provider and addressing social determinants of health that present barriers to wellness; 2) improving participants' "Life's Simple 7" (LS7) American Heart Association (AHA) metrics (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, smoking, body mass index, physical activity and dietary intake) through a community team-based intervention (Lloyd-Jones, 2010); and 3) increasing participation in clinical trials.
