Volume 27, Issue 2: April, 2000

Abstract

THE NORTH CAROLINA BLACK CHURCHES UNITED FOR BETTER HEALTH PROJECT: INTERVENTION AND PROCESS EVALUATION

Marci Kramish Campbell, PhD, RD Brenda McAdams Motsinger, MS, RD Allyson Ingram, MPH, RD David Jewell, MS Christina Makarushka, MPH Brenda Beatty, MPH, RD Janice Dodds, DrPH, RD Jacquelyn McClelland, PhD Seleshi Demissie, MSc Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD

The North Carolina Black Churches United for Better Health project was a 4-year intervention trial that successfully increased fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption among rural African American adults, for cancer and chronic disease prevention. The multicomponent intervention was based on an ecological model of change. A process evaluation that included participant surveys, church reports, and qualitative interviews was conducted to assess exposure to, and relative impact of, interventions. Participants were 1,198 members of 24 intervention churches who responded to the 2-year follow-up survey. In addition, reports and interviews were obtained from 23 and 22 churches, respectively. Serving more F&Vat church functions was the most frequently reported activity and had the highest perceived impact, followed by the personalized tailored bulletins, pastor sermons, and printed materials. Women, older individuals, and members of smaller churches reported higher impact of certain activities. Exposure to interventions was associated with greater F&V intake. A major limitation was reliance on church volunteers to collect process data.