To include more African Americans in culturally appropriate cancer prevention efforts, we formed a university, faith-based partnership with 60 churches in North Carolina. As a part of this 5 year NCI funded intervention study, we collected extensive baseline data to assess psychosocial factors associated with cancer prevention dietary practices, and to guide the intervention. A total of 1,313 church members completed a psychosocial survey by telephone interview. In the baseline sample, 74% are women, the average age is 48, 42% are high school graduates, and the average BMI is 30.7 for men and 33.0 for women. Perceived benefits to healthy eating include feeling better, weight control, and setting an example for family, while barriers include time, required planning, and lack of support from family or friends. Regarding knowledge of the NCI dietary guidelines, 19% recognize 30% of calories as the upper limit for fat intake, 27% identify 25 grams as the recommended intake of dietary fiber, and only 8% recognize the 5-a-day recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake. High self-efficacy regarding personally achieving these recommendations was 27% for fat, 28% for fiber, and 19% for fruits and vegetables. For reported stage of change among the three dietary behaviors targeted, only 2-6% responded as precontemplators, 14-21% fell in the contemplation stage, 17-22% in preparation, 9-15% in action, and 41-55% in maintenance. Among those in action and maintenance, the majority reported either contemplating or preparing for additional change. These data suggest this population could benefit from culturally appropriate dietary interventions for cancer prevention.
Learning Objectives: Identify psychosocial factors associated with diet and cancer prevention among members of Afrcian American Churches
Keywords: Nutrition, Cancer
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.