title: Psychosocial mediators of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition programme.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Performing and publishing mediator analyses, whether significant or null, provides insight into where research efforts should focus and will assist in developing effective and powerful behaviour change interventions. The present study examined whether self-efficacy, social support and church support mediated changes in leisure-time physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in a faith-based intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 15-month PA and F&V intervention, guided by the structural ecological model, targeted the social, cultural and policy influences within the church. Outcomes and mediators were measured at baseline and follow-up. Data were collected from 2007 to 2011. MacKinnon's product of coefficients tested for mediation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-eight African Methodist Episcopal churches in South Carolina, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred and eighty-two (PA) and 588 (F&V) church members.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite the significant increases in PA and F&V consumption, none of the hypothesized mediators were significant mediators of change in PA or F&V consumption. When examining each path of the mediation model, the intervention did not change any of the hypothesized mediators. However, changes in some mediators were associated with changes in outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there was no significant mediation, the association between changes in mediators and changes in PA and/or F&V consumption suggest that these variables likely play some role in changing these behaviours. Future studies should consider mediation analyses a priori, putting careful thought into the types of measures used and the timing of those measures, while also being cognizant of participant and staff burden. Finding a balance will be fundamental in successfully understanding how interventions exert their effects.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Health Science,Saginaw Valley State University,7400 Bay Road,University Center,MI 48710,USA.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baruth
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Exercise Science and Prevention Research Center,University of South Carolina,Public Health Research Center,Columbia,SC,USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilcox
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058870:Food, Organic; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009752:Nutritional Status; D033303:Protestantism; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013022:South Carolina; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables
keywords: Faith-based intervention; Fruit and vegetable consumption; Mediation analyses; Physical activity; Public health