Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death of all races in the United States. African-Americans are more likely to die from CVD than whites. One hundred and forty-six African-Americans college students were recruited from a historical black college (HBCU) in North Carolina. A fitness course (PEDU 1541) was required for all students at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). An eight-week program was designed by several certified fitness instructors who teach this course at

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... . This study was to exam the effectiveness of an 8-week exercise program in reducing CVD risk factors, including cardiovascular fitness, waist circumferences, and body fat percentage (BF%). Students' BMI, body composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, and trunk flexibility were assessed before and after completion of this 8-week supervised program. All the pre-and post-measurements of the 146 students were compared with a paired-t test to see if there were any significant changes. After 8 weeks of participation in this program, all measurements except their body fat composition improved (p< 0.05). Students' diet or calorie intake was not controlled during the program in this study. Therefore, no significant change was found in their answers to the modified questionnaire of health behaviors, including alcohol, tobacco, vegetable consumptions before and after they completed this 8-week fitness course. Therefore, increase physical activity level alone may not be sufficient to reduce all risks of CVD in African-American population.