Stepping out on faith: Developing, implementing, and sustaining a faithbased walking program

Faith based health and wellness programs have been a mechanism for increasing awareness of various populations about such topics as heart disease, breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, and the importance of diet and exercise. The development, implementation, and sustainability of those programs vary depending on: 1) the stakeholders involved, 2) specific approaches used to justify the program; 3) methods for motivating congregation members to participate, and 4) avenues to facilitate continuation of the programs on a long-term basis. This presentation describes a faith based health initiative for increasing walking and exercise called “Stepping Out on Faith”. This campus-community collaborative incorporated aspects of spirituality and religion with scientific and health information to develop a walking program meaningful to members of an African American church. A description is given about the expansion of the program to other church organizations in diverse communities who adopted the basic concept. Qualitative and quantitative data will present the benefits and obstacles to the program, including lessons learned and suggestions to others who may be interested in adopting the program.