Social Environmental Correlates of Health Behaviors in a Faith-Based Policy and Environmental Change Intervention

Abstract

Diet and physical activity are behavioral risk factors for many chronic diseases, which are among the most common health conditions in the United States. Yet most Americans fall short of meeting established dietary and physical activity guidelines. Faith-based organizations as settings for health promotion interventions can affect members at multiple levels of the social ecological model. The present study investigated whether change in the church social environment was associated with healthier behavior at church and in general at 1-year follow-up. Six churches received mini-grants and technical assistance for 1 year to support policy and environmental changes for healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA). Socioenvironmental (social support and social norms) and behavioral (HE and PA at church and in general) outcomes were derived from baseline and 1-year follow-up church member surveys ( n = 258). Three of six churches demonstrated significant improvements in all three socioenvironmental aspects of HE. Two of five churches exhibited significant socioenvironmental improvements for PA at follow-up. Church social environmental changes were related to health behaviors at church and in general ( p < .05). Change in social support for HE, social support for PA, and social norms for PA were each associated with three church-based and general behavioral outcomes. Social norms for healthy eating were related to two general behavior outcomes and social norms for unhealthy eating to one general behavioral outcome. Study findings demonstrate that socioenvironmental characteristics are essential to multilevel interventions and merit consideration in designing policy and environmental change interventions.

Christian internalization of a healthy lifestyle: A theoretical analysis

“…However, despite well-designed and implemented interventions aimed at improving healthy eating and physical activity outcomes, the applied (clinical) effects are generally null to small (e.g. Bopp et al, 2012; Harmon et al, 2014; Hermstad et al, 2018; Hornbuckle et al, 2019; Lynch et al, 2019; Tristão Parra et al, 2018; Wilcox et al, 2018).…”

Church Contextual Factors Associated With Latinx Physical Activity and Park Use

“…13 However, much of the evidence about PA social norms is focused on family or friends and less attention has been placed on PA social norms in the church. A study with African Americans found that seeing fellow parishioners use PA facilities at the church was positively associated with parishioners' PA. 11 A qualitative study in San Diego, California, also found that church leaders and staff perceived that the PA behaviors of pastors were important for motivating Latinx parishioners' PA. 14 To our knowledge, no published quantitative study has examined the role of church PA social norms on Latinx PA.…”

“…Such evidence is needed to identify appropriate targets for faith-based PA interventions, which could help optimize their effects on increasing PA among Latinx populations. 5 With respect to the social environment, several studies point to a positive association between PA social support from friends or family and Latinx individuals' PA. 7,10 Studies focused on churchgoing African Americans also show that social support from other church members may help reinforce PA among parishioners, 11,12 but such an association is not well understood among Latinx populations. PA social norms (behaviors or attitudes of others) are also associated with PA, independent of social support.…”