Nutrition Education Needs Of Faith-based Organization Members

Abstract

It is well-known that African-Americans have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity compared to Caucasians. Faith-based organizations provide a strong community base for many African-Americans. The collaboration of health promotion programs and churches has been effective for health education outreach. However, limited information is available on the nutrition education needs of faith-based community members. PURPOSE This pilot study was conducted to assess the nutrition education needs of members of a faith-based organization. METHODS A total of 85 surveys were distributed to members of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Norristown, PA. The respondents were approximately 97% African-American and 3% Caucasian. They ranged in age from 16 to 75 years; approximately 75% were female and 25% were male. RESULTS Survey results showed that the most common health conditions of church members included: overweight (82.3%), hypertension (70.6%), diabetes (49.4%), heart disease (34.1%), and cancer (33.0%). All the survey respondents indicated they would like to receive nutrition education. The most interested topics included eating healthy, physical activity, weight management, menu planning, and nutritious snacks. Over 45% preferred receiving educational materials in the form of brochures or fact sheets and group workshops. CONCLUSION There is a great need and interest for nutrition education information for faith-based community members. This pilot information will be used to design innovative health, nutrition and physical activity education programs for a larger (∼4,000 members) faith-based community in Norristown, PA, a large suburban, predominately African-American community, located outside of Philadelphia, PA.