University of South Carolina
Many effective interventions or programs are never put into practice. This quasi-experimental study will partner with AME churches in two areas of South Carolina to study how an evidence-based program is put into place by the church. The program, Walk Your Heart to Health, will include training in how churches can modify their practices to support physical activity and healthy eating. Over the five-year study, the investgiators will examine factors that predict the success of putting the program into place, things that help and get in the way of putting the program into place, and how the program can be scaled up to reach even more churches. The investigators will also examine the effect of the program (pre- to post-changes) on walking group member outcomes (physical activity and social cohesion). The investigators expect to work with approximately 26 AME churches for this study.
Physical activity (PA) plays a critical role in preventing and treating chronic disease and promoting quality of life across the age spectrum. Older adults are a priority population for increasing PA as they experience disproportionate rates of chronic disease, are underactive, and their proportion of the US population is increasing. The proposed study, which serves as the core research project for the University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center, uses a within-site pre-post study design (i.e., quasi-experimental) to study the implementation of Walk Your Heart to Health (WYHH) by AM…
Inclusion Criteria: * Member of participating church (Charleston or Columbia Districts of the 7th Episcopal District of the AME church) or is in larger neighborhood and able to attend * Aged 50 years and older * Agrees to participate in in-person walking group sessions * Not planning to move in the next year from a location that would make study visits difficult Exclusion Criteria: * No contraindications to exercise, as determined by the PAR-Q
32-week walking intervention delivered by church committees
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