Promoting Policy and Environmental Change in Faith-Based Organizations: Description and Findings From a Mini-Grants Program

Arriola, Kimberly R. Jacob; Hermstad, April; Flemming, Shauna St. Clair; Honeycutt, Sally; Carvalho, Michelle; Cherry, Sabrina T.; Davis, Tamara S.; Frazier, Sheritta; Escoffery, Cam; Kegler, Michelle C.

doi:10.4278/ajhp.150212-quan-724

Cited by 22 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…5,6 Churches' physical infrastructure, programs, and social networks can be leveraged to influence not only individuals but also the congregation and neighborhood. 7 Previous church-based interventions with AAs and Latinos have influenced eating and/or physical activity habits through educational approaches, 8,9 changes to the food environment at church, 10,11 on-site exercise get-togethers, 12 and neighborhood walkability assessments and advocacy. 13 However, such interventions have been limited by challenges with reaching participants for intervention activities and measurement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feasibility and acceptability of a mobile messaging program within a church-based healthy living intervention for African Americans and Latinos

Whitley

Payán

Flórez

et al. 2019

Health Informatics J

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Church-based programs can act on multiple levels to improve dietary and physical activity behaviors among African Americans and Latinos. However, the effectiveness of these interventions may be limited due to challenges in reaching all congregants or influencing behavior outside of the church setting. To increase intervention impact, we sent mobile messages (text and email) in English or Spanish to congregants (n = 131) from predominantly African American or Latino churches participating in a multi-level, church-based program. To assess feasibility and acceptability, we collected feedback throughout the 4-month messaging intervention and conducted a process evaluation using the messaging platform. We found that the intervention was feasible to implement and acceptable to a racially ethnically diverse study sample with high obesity and overweight rates. While the process evaluation had some limitations (e.g. low response rate), we conclude that mobile messaging is a promising, feasible addition to church-based programs aiming to improve dietary and physical activity behaviors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…14 Congregants' busy schedules may limit their ability to attend in-person activities, 9 and long-term follow-up with participants can be difficult. 8 Furthermore, while the church environment is important, the home environment remains key, 7 suggesting a need to engage with congregants outside of the church setting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility and acceptability of a mobile messaging program within a church-based healthy living intervention for African Americans and Latinos

Whitley

Payán

Flórez

et al. 2019

Health Informatics J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This incremental approach ensured buy-in and gave both the community organization and funder the option to continue. Similar to others who have used mini-awards to maximize resource distribution in public health (Arriola et al, 2016;Wiebel, Welter, Aglipay, & Rothstein, 2014), this initiative demonstrated similar success.…”

Section: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 55%

Moving Upstream: An Intersectoral Collaboration to Build Sustainable Planning Capacity in Rural and Appalachian Communities

Milazzo¹,

Raffle²,

Courser³

2019

The Foundation Review

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“…Shared use (working with organizations to open access to their facilities) is a promising strategy for increasing the number of safe and accessible spaces to be physically active ( 3 , 4 ). Although researchers have examined the prevalence of shared-use agreements in schools, little is known about implementation of and barriers to shared use of recreational facilities in faith-based settings ( 5 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Public health practitioners have harnessed this potential by implementing and evaluating obesity prevention programs that have included lay advisor models ( 7 , 8 ), targeted diabetes education ( 7 ), and community-based participatory research ( 9 , 10 ). Researchers have documented and evaluated how faith communities implement healthful eating or physical activity policies, provide spaces or time for physical activity, and promote access to healthful foods ( 5 , 8 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared Use of Physical Activity Facilities Among North Carolina Faith Communities, 2013

et al. 2017

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IntroductionShared use of recreational facilities is a promising strategy for increasing access to places for physical activity. Little is known about shared use in faith-based settings. This study examined shared use practices and barriers in faith communities in North Carolina.MethodsFaith communities in North Carolina (n = 234) completed an online survey (October–December 2013) designed to provide information about the extent and nature of shared use of recreational facilities. We used binary logistic regression to examine differences between congregations that shared use and those that did not share use.ResultsMost of the faith communities (82.9%) that completed the survey indicated that they share their facilities with outside individuals and organizations. Formal agreements were more common when faith communities shared indoor spaces such as gymnasiums and classroom meeting spaces than when they shared outdoor spaces such as playgrounds or athletic fields. Faith communities in the wealthiest counties were more likely to share their spaces than were faith communities in poorer counties. Faith communities in counties with the best health rankings were more likely to share facilities than faith communities in counties that had lower health rankings. The most frequently cited reasons faith communities did not share their facilities were that they did not know how to initiate the process of sharing their facilities or that no outside groups had ever asked.ConclusionMost faith communities shared their facilities for physical activity. Research is needed on the relationship between shared use and physical activity levels, including the effect of formalizing shared-use policies.

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Promoting Policy and Environmental Change in Faith-Based Organizations: Description and Findings From a Mini-Grants Program

Abstract: The church environment may play an important role in supporting healthy eating in this setting and more generally.

Cited by 22 publications

References 18 publications

Feasibility and acceptability of a mobile messaging program within a church-based healthy living intervention for African Americans and Latinos

Feasibility and acceptability of a mobile messaging program within a church-based healthy living intervention for African Americans and Latinos

Moving Upstream: An Intersectoral Collaboration to Build Sustainable Planning Capacity in Rural and Appalachian Communities

Shared Use of Physical Activity Facilities Among North Carolina Faith Communities, 2013

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