title: Promoting Policy and Environmental Change in Faith-Based Organizations: Outcome Evaluation of a Mini-Grants Program.
abstract: High rates of heart disease, cancer, and stroke exist in rural South Georgia where the Emory Prevention Research Center's Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network provided mini-grant funding to six churches to implement policy and environmental change to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This study sought to determine whether perceptions of the health promotion environment changed over time and whether perceived environmental change was associated with healthy behavior at church and in general. This study used a single-group pre-post design with 1-year follow-up. Parishioners (N = 258) completed self-administered questionnaires assessing perceptions of the church health promotion environment relative to healthy eating and physical activity, eating behavior and intention to use physical activity facilities at church, and eating and physical activity behaviors generally. Results indicate that perceived improvements in church nutrition environments were most strongly associated with decreases in unhealthy food consumed and stronger intentions to use physical activity resources at church (ps ≤ .05). Perceived changes in the physical activity environment were unrelated to church or general behavior. Findings suggest that church environments may play an important role in supporting healthy eating and physical activity at church; however, whether the influence of the church environment extends to other settings is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA kjacoba@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Kimberly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jacob Arriola
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hermstad
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Shauna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: St Clair Flemming
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Honeycutt
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: University of Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Cherry
authors.affiliation: Albany State University, Albany, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Georgia Department of Public Health, Albany, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sheritta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frazier
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Cam
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escoffery
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kegler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D004032:Diet; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005381:Financing, Organized; D005845:Georgia; D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: faith-based organization; nutrition; obesity; physical activity; policy evaluation