Faith-Based Initiative to Promote Health in Appalachia

Appalachia Community Cancer Network II Centers for Reducing Cancer Disparities: Faith-Based Initiative to Promote Health in Appalachia

The project will target two behavioral causes of obesity: a sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet. The goal is to test a faith-based intervention among men and women who are members of participating Appalachian churches.

The primary hypothesis being tested in this project is: The change in body mass index from baseline to one year follow-up in intervention churches will be greater than among comparison churches, such that the differential change will be negative on average.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 or older
• Member of the participating church who has attended services at least 4 times in the past 2 months
• resident of an Appalachia county
• Able bodied (no contraindications to physical activity and no dietary restrictions that are part of a medically prescribed diet for weight loss or formal weight loss program)
• Able to read and write in English
• Have a BMI indicating that they are overweight (BMI > or = 25.0, assessed during biometric measurement)
• Under 400 pounds (per self-report and confirmed during biometric measurement)
• Not planning to move out of the area within the next year
• Does not reside in nursing facility or residential home
• If female, is not pregnant, breastfeeding or less than 9 months post-partum and does not intend to become pregnant during the study
• Able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Does not meet Inclusion criteria