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Dash of Faith: A Faith-Based Participatory Research Pilot Study

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Abstract

The Dash of Faith pilot used a community-based participatory research approach to design an experiential dietary intervention based on two African-American churches, one intervention and one comparison. Congregation members identified components that were incorporated into 12 weekly and 4 monthly sessions, with a goal of increasing fruit and vegetable and lowering fat intake. At 2 months, a marginally significant (p = 0.07) increase in fruit and vegetable consumption was observed in the intervention group but was not maintained at study conclusion. We propose that these mixed findings may be attributable, in part, to bias introduced by the participatory nature of the design.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the University of South Carolina Office of Research; the National Cancer Institute (Community Networks Program) at the National Institutes of Health [1 U01 CA114601-01]; the National Cancer Institute (Community Networks Program Centers) at the National Institutes of Health [5 U54 CA153461-03]; and an Established Investigator Award in Cancer Prevention and Control from the Cancer Training Branch of the National Cancer Institute to JR Hébert (K05 CA136975). The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Ms. Isabel Law who was an active member of the research and writing team until her untimely death in 2008. She brought light to so many people in her battle against breast cancer. The world is just a little bit dimmer without her in it.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest pertaining to this submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Ste 200, Columbia, SC, 20208, USA

    Brook E. Harmon

  2. South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    James R. Hebert

  3. State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary, Columbia, SC, USA

    Dolores Scott

  4. Bethlehem Baptist Church of Columbia, Inc, Columbia, SC, USA

    Yvonne S. Gladman

  5. Central Baptist Church, Columbia, SC, USA

    Bernice Ezell

  6. South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Swann A. Adams

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  1. Brook E. Harmon
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Correspondence to Brook E. Harmon.

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Harmon, B.E., Adams, S.A., Scott, D. et al. Dash of Faith: A Faith-Based Participatory Research Pilot Study. J Relig Health 53, 747–759 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-012-9664-z

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