Pennsylvania Body & Soul: Program implementation and fidelity among African American churches

Faith-based organizations are important partners in health promotion because they are trusted community institutions and can reach a range of individuals. Fox Chase Cancer Center's Office of Health Communications and Health Disparities (OHCHD), with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, has coordinated and evaluated a statewide dissemination of Body & Soul among African American churches. The Body & Soul program is a faith-based intervention designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among African Americans. The aim of this dissemination is to enable churches to implement and tailor health promotion programs and to measure program dissemination and implementation in a real-world setting. OHCHD provided community partners and churches with training, mini-grant funding and technical assistance from OHCHD. Community partners provided guidance to churches. Over a 12-month period, churches developed their own activity plan within the four program pillars (pastoral involvement, educational activities, healthy church environment, and peer counseling support) and participated in qualitative and quantitative evaluation (key informant interviews, monthly activity reports and follow-up surveys). From 2008-2010, 39 churches in 13 counties across Pennsylvania participated. Most churches implemented all pillars (67%) or three pillars (30%); Peer counseling was most difficult for churches to implement. Church activities ranged from two to forty-five per church. Activities included sermon series, taste-testing, and changes in church menus. Additional outcome measures will be presented. Funding and training facilitated church adoption, but implementation ranged across churches. Church readiness to implement health promotion programs and needs for additional training or support should be considered to improve fidelity.