title: Stages of change and psychosocial correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among rural African-American church members.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the relationship between stages of change, other psychosocial factors, and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption among rural African-Americans participating in a 5 a Day study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional design assessed associations between F&V intake, stage of change, self-efficacy, beliefs, barriers, and social support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were surveyed by telephone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were 3557 adult church members (response rate, 79.1%), aged 18 and over from 10 North Carolina counties.
  
  
  METHODS
  A seven-item food frequency measured F&V intake. Stage of change was measured using four items; other psychosocial variables were measured using Likert scales. Chi-square tests and analysis of variance were used in statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of participants (65%) were in the preparation stage of change. Individuals in action/maintenance consumed an average of 6.5 daily F&V servings compared to 3.3 to 3.5 servings for those in precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation. Self-efficacy, social support, and belief about how many daily F&V servings are needed, were positively associated with stage. Barriers were most prevalent among precontemplators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings support the applicability of the stages-of-change model to dietary change among rural African-Americans. The relationship between stage, self-efficacy, social support, and barriers supports using a multicomponent intervention strategy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, USA.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Demark-Wahnefried
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Polhamus
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bernhardt
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Washington
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D011897:Random Allocation; D012067:Religion; D012424:Rural Population; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone; D014675:Vegetables