The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial in African-American Churches

• Published in: American journal of preventive medicine 2013-02, Vol.44 (2), p.122-131
• Main Authors: WILCOX, Sara, PARROTT, Allen, KINNARD, Deborah, ZIMMERMAN, Lakisha, BARUTH, Meghan, LAKEN, Marilyn, CONDRASKY, Margaret, SAUNDERS, Ruth, DOWDA, Marsha, EVANS, Rebecca, ADDY, Cheryl, WARREN, Tatiana Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Christian churches; Community-Based Participatory Research; Diet - ethnology; Feeding Behavior - ethnology; Female; Health Behavior - ethnology; Health Promotion - methods; Healthy food; Humans; Interventions; Leisure; Leisure Activities; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Physical activity; Prevention and actions; Protestantism; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Social services agencies; South Carolina; Specific populations (family, woman, child, elderly...)
• ISSN: 0749-3797; 1873-2607
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.062

Faith-based interventions hold promise for promoting health in ethnic minority populations. To date, however, few of these interventions have used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, have targeted both physical activity and healthy eating, and have focused on structural changes in the church. To report the results of a group randomized CBPR intervention targeting physical activity and healthy eating in African-American churches. Group RCT. Data were collected from 2007 to 2011. Statistical analyses were conducted in 2012. Seventy-four African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches in South Carolina and 1257 members within them participated in the study. Churches were randomized to an immediate (intervention) or delayed (control) 15-month intervention that targeted organizational and environmental changes consistent with the structural ecologic model. A CBPR approach guided intervention development. Intervention churches attended a full-day committee training and a full-day cook training. They also received a stipend and 15 months of mailings and technical assistance calls to support intervention implementation. Primary outcomes were self-reported moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption, and measured blood pressure. Secondary outcomes were self-reported fat- and fiber-related behaviors. Measurements were taken at baseline and 15 months. Intent-to-treat repeated measures ANOVA tested group X time interactions, controlling for church clustering, wave, and size, and participant age, gender, and education. Post hoc ANCOVAs were conducted with measurement completers. There was a significant effect favoring the intervention group in self-reported leisure-time MVPA (d=0.18, p=0.02), but no effect for other outcomes. ANCOVA analyses showed an intervention effect for self-reported leisure-time MVPA (d=0.17, p=0.03) and self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption (d=0.17, p=0.03). Trainings were evaluated very positively (training evaluation item means of 4.2-4.8 on a 5-point scale). This faith-based structural intervention using a CBPR framework showed small but significant increases in self-reported leisure-time MVPA. This program has potential for broad-based dissemination and reach. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT00379925.