Background As part of the planning process for new research the literature on community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches for promoting physical activity in African American communities was systematically reviewed. design three had a quasi-experimental design three had a randomized controlled design and one was a case study. Conclusions Additional CBPR studies and faith-based interventions are needed to identify effective ways to promote physical activity in African American communities to address health disparities. Of particular interest are those that have an adequate sample size and a rigorous design to overcome limitations of previous studies. = Diosmetin ?2.74 P<0.01) In rural North Carolina counties Ries et al. (2014) conducted a project with a quasi-experimental design. The participants were 485 low-income predominately minority women (63% African American) with a mean age of 47.5 years. The curriculum for the bi-weekly group meetings held over a 6-month period addressed physical activity healthy eating weight control stress management education and job skills. For both African Americans (P<0.05) and Whites (P<0.0001) intervention participants were more likely than comparison participants to move from contemplation to action/maintenance for the goal of increasing physical activity. For all participants progression in stages of change mediated the intervention effect on physical activity but not fruit and vegetable intake. Intervention group participants engaged in more minutes of physical activity per week (138 minutes) than comparison participants (86 minutes P<0.05). In 74 African Methodist Episcopal churches in North Carolina Wilcox et al. (2013) conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial of an intervention (full-day committee training full-day cook training and 15 months of mailings and technical assistance calls) targeting physical activity and healthy eating. The churches were randomized to immediate or delayed intervention. The 1 257 participants (mean Diosmetin age 54.1 years 99.4% African American 27.1% overweight 61.8% obese) had a high attrition. In intention-to-treat analyses accomplished by use of analysis of variance there was an intervention effect in self-reported leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) (P=0.02) but no effect on dietary outcomes. Covariance analyses for participants who completed pre- and post-measurements showed an intervention effect for MVPA (P=0.03) and self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption Diosmetin (P=0.03). With CBPR principles Woods et al. (2013) conducted a cluster-randomized trial of physical activity diet and nutrition interventions (small group educational sessions demonstrations of healthy food preparation and physical activities). The 106 adult participants (73% Diosmetin female 90 African American 80 with some college or above) were from five churches (3 intervention 2 control) in Colorado. At 2-months follow-up the intervention group Ankrd1 showed greater decreases in weight (P<0.02) BMI (P<0.05) and % body fat (P<0.03) than the control groups. There was an increase in physical fitness (P<0.10). Zoellner et al. (2007) conducted a quasi-experimental study to evaluate a 6-month intervention focused on promoting physical activity and health through walking teams led by coaches self-monitoring and monthly 1-hour educational sessions. The participants were 83 rural residents in Hollandale Mississippi (99% African American 97 women). There were improvements in waist circumference (?1.4 inches) systolic blood Diosmetin pressure (?4.3 mmHg) and HDL-cholesterol (+7.9 mg/dL) (p<0.001). Self-reported walking per day was 44.8 (SD±52.2) minutes at enrollment and 65.9 (SD±89.7) minutes at 6 months (P=0.154). DISCUSSION The conclusions of this systematic review show that mixed results have been obtained in CBPR studies related to promotion of physical activity in African American communities but that modest increases in activity have often been observed. To address health disparities additional CBPR studies and faith-based interventions are needed to identify optimal approaches for promoting physical activity in African American communities in rural and urban locations to address health disparities. In particular.