About

Lenette M. Jones is an Associate Professor and the Nancy S. and Michael B. McLelland Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. She is a behavioral nurse scientist with a focus on optimizing cardiovascular health for all patients, especially those from marginalized populations. Her research program is centered on uncovering the biological, psychological, social, and physical mechanisms involved in blood pressure self-management interventions. Dr. Jones employs neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to explore the neuroprocesses associated with behaviors like diet, exercise, and medication adherence. Additionally, she investigates how health information behavior—seeking, sharing, and use—can be enhanced to support blood pressure self-management. Her current work involves designing and pilot-testing interventions aimed at improving self-management of blood pressure.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Gerontology
• Internal medicine
• Demography
• Family medicine
• Nursing
• Environmental health
• Physical therapy
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Innovation in health equity research among priority populations

  Nursing Outlook · 2026-02-28 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Building trust to enhance community-engaged research and attain health equity

  Nursing Outlook · 2026-02-28

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Empowering nursing excellence: How liberation capital can elevate innovative ideas

  Nursing Outlook · 2026-02-28

  article
  PublisherDOI

• HF STATS 2025: Heart Failure Epidemiology and Outcomes Statistics An Updated 2025 Report from the Heart Failure Society of America

  Journal of Cardiac Failure · 2025-09-23 · 32 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Applying the theoretical domains framework to identify determinants to mental healthcare use among older African Americans with type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study

  BMJ Open · 2024-10-01

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: There is a paucity of research focused on enhancing access to mental healthcare for older African Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D), who may be at risk for or living with comorbid depression. This study aims to identify barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare utilisation among this population, guided by the theoretical domains framework (TDF). DESIGN: This qualitative study involved 30 interviews with older African American adults diagnosed with T2D. The interview questions were aligned with TDF domains to capture participant perspectives on barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare use. SETTING: Interviews were conducted via telephone by a licensed clinician trained in social work. Each session lasted 60-90 min and was transcribed and analysed. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 30 African American adults (15 males and 15 females), aged 60 and above, living in an urban area in the Midwest. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the identification of themes from participant responses, analysed using thematic content techniques and categorised into TDF constructs. Demographic data served as the secondary outcome. RESULTS: Nine key themes were identified, categorised under major TDF domains and constructs. Significant barriers included (1) systemic racism ('knowledge'), (2) normalisation of depressive symptoms ('beliefs about consequences'), (3) perceived stigma ('beliefs about consequences') and 4) costs of medications and healthcare ('environmental context and resources'). Facilitators to seeking mental healthcare included (1) empowerment ('beliefs about capabilities'), (2) perceived benefits of mental health exams ('beliefs about consequences'), (3) positive provider experiences ('reinforcement'), (4) recognition of depressive symptoms as a motivator ('goals') and (5) support networks ('social influences'). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Key findings highlight that fostering positive patient-provider relationships and enhancing self-recognition of depressive symptoms can significantly encourage mental healthcare utilisation among older African Americans with T2D. These findings suggest that future interventions should focus on strengthening these relationships and improving self-awareness to better mental health outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Caregiving and Hypertension in Younger Black Women: The Jackson Heart Study

  Hypertension · 2024-11-27 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Caregiving has been associated with high blood pressure in middle-aged and older women, but this relationship is understudied among younger Black women, a population at high risk for hypertension. We examined the associations of caregiving stress and caregiving for high-needs dependents with incident hypertension among reproductive-age women in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study), a cohort of community-dwelling Black adults. METHODS: We included 453 participants, aged 21 to 44 years, with blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and not taking antihypertensive medication at baseline (2000-2004). Caregiving stress over the past 12 months was assessed via a single item in the global perceived stress scale. Caregiving for a high-needs dependent status was assessed via a question on hours per week spent caregiving for children (≤5 years or disabled) or older adults. Incident hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg, or self-report of taking antihypertensive medication at follow-up exams in 2005 to 2008 and 2009 to 2013. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 43.5% of participants developed hypertension. Participants with moderate/high versus no/low caregiving stress had a higher incidence of hypertension (51.7% versus 40.6%). Higher caregiving stress was associated with incident hypertension after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical factors, health behaviors, and depressive symptoms (hazard ratio, 1.39 [95% CI, 1.01-1.94]). Being a caregiver for a high-needs dependent was not associated with incident hypertension (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.64-1.21]). CONCLUSIONS: Higher caregiving stress among reproductive-age Black women was associated with incident hypertension. Hypertension prevention approaches for this high-risk population may include caregiving stress management strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Empowering WHISE women: usability testing of a mobile application to enhance blood pressure control

  mHealth · 2024-07-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background: High blood pressure (hypertension) disproportionately affects African American/Black (Black) women. Previous research suggests that self-managing hypertension may be challenging, yet mobile applications (apps) can help to empower patients and increase medication adherence. We developed questions to test the usability of evaluating the WHISE (Wellness, Hypertension, Information Sharing, Self-Management, Education) mobile app for Black women with hypertension. Methods: Fifteen participants completed usability testing; five were potential app users (Black women with hypertension); each invited two of their peers to participate. Each testing session (n=5) included a brief overview of the app, time for participants to complete surveys and have an active discussion about the app (concurrent and retrospective think-aloud, concurrent and retrospective probing, per usability.gov), and observation of participants' body language during the session. Testing sessions were designed to familiarize participants with the app's features and examine their navigating ability. Results: The app received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with 80% of participants finding it to be a valuable tool in hypertension management. Participants praised the app's user-friendliness and educational value, with one stating, 'It is a good educational piece for helping people manage hypertension, at least to understand its basics.' Another participant highlighted the potential for community support, saying, 'Having a community, having some people to be accountable, to check in with and see how things are going, could encourage and motivate people to be more diligent about managing their hypertension.' Some participants also provided constructive feedback, suggesting font size adjustments (73%) and color scheme changes (60%) for certain screens. Conclusions: Based on the feedback we received, we were able to mitigate the participants' concerns about font size and color and create tutorial videos to guide future users in using the app. We completed these changes prior to deploying the app in our randomized clinical controlled trial.

  PublisherDOI

• Interpersonal, Community, and Societal Stressors Mediate Black–White Memory Disparities

  The Journals of Gerontology Series B · 2024-09-28 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: Structural racism creates contextual stressors that disproportionately affect Black, relative to White, older adults in the United States and may contribute to worse cognitive health. We examined the extent to which interpersonal, community, and societal stressors uniquely explain Black-White disparities in initial memory and memory change. METHODS: The sample included 14,199 non-Latino Black and White older adults (Mage = 68.32, 19.8% Black) from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study who completed psychosocial questionnaires at baseline and a word list memory task every 2 years over an 8-year period. Interpersonal, community, and societal stressors were operationalized as self-reported everyday discrimination, neighborhood physical disorder, and subjective societal status, respectively. Latent growth curves modeled longitudinal memory performance. Stressors were modeled simultaneously and allowed to correlate. Covariates included age, sex, education, wealth, parental education, and Southern residence. RESULTS: Compared to White participants, Black participants experienced more discrimination (β = -0.004, standard error [SE] = 0.001, p < .001), more neighborhood physical disorder (β = -0.009, SE = 0.002, p < .001), and lower perceived societal status (β = -0.002, SE = 0.001, p = .001), each of which uniquely mediated the racial disparity in initial memory. Sensitivity analyses utilizing proxy-imputed memory scores revealed an additional racial disparity in memory change, wherein Black participants evidenced a faster decline than White participants. This disparity in memory change was only uniquely mediated by more everyday discrimination among Black participants. DISCUSSION: Elements of structural racism may contribute to cognitive disparities via disproportionate stress experiences at multiple contextual levels among Black older adults. Future research should consider multilevel protective factors that buffer against negative impacts of racism on health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• HF STATS 2024: Heart Failure Epidemiology and Outcomes Statistics An Updated 2024 Report from the Heart Failure Society of America

  Journal of Cardiac Failure · 2024-09-24 · 336 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Abstract P258: Global Stress and Masked Hypertension in African-Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

  Circulation · 2023-02-28

  article

  Background: Chronic stress experienced at home or work has been associated with acute increases in blood pressure (BP) measured in the doctor’s office, but few data are available on the association of chronic stress with BP measured outside of the office setting. Methods: We analyzed data from 473 African-American adults enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study with office BP &lt; 130/80 mm Hg to examine the association between chronic stress and masked hypertension (MHT). Chronic stress related to jobs, relationships, neighborhoods, caregiving, legal problems, medical problems, racism and discrimination, and meeting basic needs experienced over the previous 12 months was assessed using the 8-item Global Perceived Stress Scale (GPSS). We grouped participants by tertile of the composite GPSS score. Any MHT was defined as awake BP ≥ 130/80 mm Hg, asleep BP ≥ 110/65 mm Hg, or 24-hour BP ≥ 125/75 mm Hg. Analyses were stratified by antihypertensive medication use. Results: Among participants not taking antihypertensive medication (mean age 53 years), the prevalence of any MHT was 59.0%, 75.0% and 61.8% for the low (GPSS score ≤ 3), middle (GPSS score 4 - 6), and upper tertiles of the GPSS score (GPSS score &gt; 6), respectively. Among those taking antihypertensive medication (mean age 61 years), the prevalence of any MHT was 77.4%, 80.7%, and 77.9% for participants in the low, middle, and upper tertile of the GPSS score, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, the prevalence ratio (95% confidence interval) for any MHT associated with the middle and upper versus low tertile of the GPSS score was 1.23 (0.96, 1.57) and 1.07 (0.83, 1.39), respectively, among those not taking antihypertensive medication and 0.97 (0.82, 1.14) and 1.02 (0.85, 1.21), respectively, among those taking antihypertensive medication (Table). Conclusion: No association was present between chronic stress and MHT among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Building a Multidisciplinary Research Program to Address Hypertension Disparities:Exploring the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of a Self-Management Intervention for African American Women with Hypertension

  NIH · $736k · 2019–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Kathy Wright

  220 shared

• Shirley M. Moore

  124 shared

• David M. Fresco

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  123 shared

• Anthony I. Jack

  Case Western Reserve University

  123 shared

• Jared Friedman

  California Polytechnic State University

  122 shared

• Abdus Sattar

  Institute of Science and Technology

  121 shared

• Jaclynn Hawkins

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  72 shared

• Jamie Mitchell

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  69 shared

Awards & honors

• Mid-Career Investigator Award, Self-Care Research Interest G…
• UMSN Early Career Achievement Award, University of Michigan…
• Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovator…
• Harriet H. Werley New Investigator Award, Midwest Nursing Re…
• Future Research Leaders Conference, National Institutes of H…