title: Achieving cultural congruency in weight loss interventions: can a spirituality-based program attract and retain an inner-city community sample?
abstract: Ethnic minorities continue to be disproportionately affected by obesity and are less likely to access healthcare than Caucasians. It is therefore imperative that researchers develop novel methods that will attract these difficult-to-reach groups. The purpose of the present study is to describe characteristics of an urban community sample attracted to a spiritually based, weight loss intervention. METHODS. Thirteen participants enrolled in a pilot version of Spiritual Self-Schema Therapy (3S) applied to disordered eating behavior and obesity. Treatment consisted of 12 one-hour sessions in a group therapy format. At baseline, participants were measured for height and weight and completed a battery of self-report measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample was predominantly African-American and Hispanic and a large percentage of the sample was male. Mean baseline scores of the EDE-Q, YFAS, and the CES-D revealed clinically meaningful levels of eating disordered pathology and depression, respectively. The overall attrition rate was quite low for interventions targeting obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This application of a spiritually centered intervention seemed to attract and retain a predominantly African-American and Hispanic sample. By incorporating a culturally congruent focus, this approach may have been acceptable to individuals who are traditionally more difficult to reach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.
authors.forename: William Blake
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Dutton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.
authors.forename: Taryn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Durant
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Annunziato
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Fordham University, 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marcotte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D015992:Body Mass Index; D054521:Cultural Competency; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D029181:Spirituality; D014505:Urban Population; D015431:Weight Loss