Diet & Activity Community Trial: High-Risk Inflammation

Diet & Activity Community Trial: High-Risk Inflammation

South Carolina has many gaps in health status of our citizens. Some of the biggest gaps are higher cancer rates among African Americans. The purpose of this study is to find people who have increased inflammation and study how well a community-based dietary and physical activity program works at reducing the risk of African Americans developing inflammation-related diseases.

A diet and physical activity intervention was developed to provide knowledge and skills to facilitate health behavior change in African-American Baptist Church members in South Carolina and promote healthy lifestyles to reduce colon cancer disparities. The intervention entitled, "H.E.A.L.S. (Healthy Eating and Active Living in the Spirit)" was used to train church education teams to deliver church and community educational activities promoting a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and an active lifestyle. The training focused leadership and empowerment skills to enable church lay leaders to become Church Education Teams (CETs) . The educational activities made it easier for church and community members to eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce fat intake, increase physical activity, and increase dietary intake of anti-inflammatory foods associated with colon cancer risk.

This 12 week healthy eating and physical activity program is tailored to meet a church's needs and goals by:

1. providing cooking classes, recipes,

2. tips for increasing the level of physical activity in their daily routine

3. assistance tracking basic measurements like

   • Weight
   • Blood pressure,
   • Inflammation levels

Education Goals:

• Increase knowledge of health behavior and changes that can impact health status
• Increase confidence in sharing health information with church, family, and community members.
• Develop skills to facilitate behavior change
• Develop skills to overcome barriers to behavior change

Inclusion Criteria:

• African American

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of Cancer
• History of Ulcerative colitis
• Chrome Disease