Viewing the body as a temple: Exploring motivators and barriers to improving obesity related health behaviors in African American faith communities

Background: African American (AA) women exhibit higher levels of obesity and associated health problems. Faith is a key component of the AA community with 74% of AA women reporting that living a religious life is important. Thus, faith may play a unique role in AA women’s weight management efforts. Study Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the specific role of faith in obesity related health behaviors. Study Design: Focus groups were conducted with 64 individuals (89% female; 95% African American; mean age 46 [SD=13.0] years) in churches. Transcripts were analyzed with NVivo using classic content analysis by independent raters with adequate inter-rater reliability (kappa alpha = 0.65). Codes related to faith and health included Scripture, Prayer, Motivation, God’s role, Disconnect, and Connection to physical health.  Results: Participants most frequently mentioned God’s role (33%), followed by Prayer (20%), Scripture (13%), Connection to Physical Health (12%), Disconnect (10%), and Motivation (8%). Participant perceptions of God’s role related to health included strength, motivation for change, and serving as a coach.  Prayer was described as providing tools, resources, and motivation for changing health behaviors. Scripture was seen as providing guidance with frequent reference to scriptures about treating your body as a temple (n=26). In contrast, some participants discussed a disconnect, where scriptural/ faith beliefs about health did not influence lifestyle behaviors.  This could be a target area when integrating faith-based components into interventions. Conclusions: These findings can provide important guidance when developing obesity-related programs for AA women within the faith community.