A church-based pilot study designed to improve dietary quality for rural, lower Mississippi Delta, African American adults.
We piloted a 6-month, church-based, behavioral intervention, Delta Body and Soul (DBS), for African American (AA) adults in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD). DBS was designed to improve overall dietary quality in LMD AA adults. The intervention included six once monthly group-based educational sessions implemented by trained church members. Program implementation, session attendance, congregational feedback, and baseline and post-intervention, demographic, health, behavioral, and clinical parameters were assessed. Participants were predominately AA, female, and overweight or obese. Retention rate was 79 %. High adherence, defined as attendance at four or more educational sessions, was associated with dietary quality improvement and reduced blood glucose. Implementation of the DBS pilot intervention was feasible and may result in dietary quality and clinical improvements.
Division of Health Promotion Research, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60608, USA, ltussing@uic.edu.
Lisa M
LM
Tussing-Humphreys
Jessica L
JL
Thomson
Stephen J
SJ
Onufrak
D001741:Black or African American; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi; D050177:Overweight / Q000178:diet therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012424:Rural Population