Building on a 3-yr partnership, the Palmetto Conference of the AME Church and three state Universities in South Carolina will partner for this study. The specific study aims are to: (1) use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to engage church leaders in developing a combined physical activity (PA) and nutrition intervention, (2) test the 18-mo intervention that targets social, cultural, and policy influences within the church, (3) assess the role of pastor support of and participation in the intervention, and (4) disseminate the program across the state and more broadly. A CBPR approach will guide all study activities. Representatives from each partnering organization will participate in monthly planning meetings in year 1. The logic model will be used to build consensus about the scope of the program, process evaluation, and project management. Two waves of interventions will be conducted, beginning in year 2. In total, 13 clusters of churches (60 churches within them) will be randomized to an immediate or delayed intervention. The 18-month intervention, based on social ecology and the trans-theoretical model, will target the social, cultural, and policy environments within the church to support increased PA and the DASH diet (low fat and sodium, high F&Vs and grains). Local health committees and key church decision makers (pastors and church cooks) will be trained to implement the program. Primary outcomes, measured at baseline and 18- months, are blood pressure (SBP, DBP), PA (self-reported mins/wk);and F&V consumption (svgs/d). Secondary outcomes are PA (accelerometer mins/wk), fat and fiber-related behaviors, and stage of change. A total of 15 participants from 18 small churches, 25 participants from 30 medium churches, and 50 participants from 12 large churches will be recruited for measurements (N = 1620). Accelerometer readings will be collected from a sub-sample (N = 620), and a comprehensive process evaluation will be conducted. Faith-university partnerships provide a way to deliver health promotion messages in a culturally and ethnically relevant manner. Interventions that result from these partnerships have great potential to contribute to eliminating health disparities, a Healthy People 2010 objective. The inclusion of PA, use of a CBPR approach, engagement of church decision makers, and focus on the church's social, cultural, and policy influences make this project innovative.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL083858-04
Application #
7608686
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-HOP-S (50))
Program Officer
Pratt, Charlotte
Project Start
2006-07-10
Project End
2011-03-31
Budget Start
2009-04-01
Budget End
2010-03-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$707,456
Indirect Cost
Name
University of South Carolina at Columbia
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
041387846
City
Columbia
State
SC
Country
United States
Zip Code
29208
Warren, Tatiana Y; Wilcox, Sara; St George, Sara M et al. (2018) African American Women's Perceived Influences on and Strategies to Reduce Sedentary Behavior. Qual Health Res 28:1112-1122
Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara (2015) Psychosocial mediators of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition programme. Public Health Nutr 18:2242-50
Kyryliuk, Rebecca; Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara (2015) Predictors of Weight Loss for African-American Women in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Study. J Phys Act Health 12:659-65
Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara; Evans, Rebecca (2014) The health and health behaviors of a sample of African American pastors. J Health Care Poor Underserved 25:229-41
Baruth, Meghan; Becofsky, Katie; Wilcox, Sara et al. (2014) Health characteristics and health behaviors of African American adults according to self-rated health status. Ethn Dis 24:97-103
Saunders, Ruth P; Wilcox, Sara; Baruth, Meghan et al. (2014) Process evaluation methods, implementation fidelity results and relationship to physical activity and healthy eating in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) study. Eval Program Plann 43:93-102
Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara; Saunders, Ruth P et al. (2013) Perceived environmental church support and physical activity among Black church members. Health Educ Behav 40:712-20
Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara; Saunders, Ruth P (2013) The role of pastor support in a faith-based health promotion intervention. Fam Community Health 36:204-14
Wilcox, Sara; Parrott, Allen; Baruth, Meghan et al. (2013) The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition program: a randomized controlled trial in African-American churches. Am J Prev Med 44:122-31
Condrasky, Margaret D; Baruth, Meghan; Wilcox, Sara et al. (2013) Cooks training for Faith, Activity, and Nutrition project with AME churches in SC. Eval Program Plann 37:43-9

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