USC PRC Center and Core Research Project: National Implementation Study of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Program

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Physical inactivity and poor diet combined are a leading modifiable cause of death in the US. Racial disparities in these behaviors and associated health outcomes present major public health challenges. The USC PRC, working toward the vision of Communities that Support Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for All People, has established a long and successful history of applied research and practice in underserved communities. The specific aims of the USC PRC for 2019-2024, which will be conducted in partnership with the Center's Community Advisory Board (CAB), are to: 1) strengthen the infrastructure of the Center and the capacity of staff and investigators, 2) establish a Center research and translation agenda, engage translation partners, and conduct activities to support the translation of research findings into public health practice, 3) use innovative communication channels to disseminate knowledge and products and to promote the Center and its activities, 4) provide prevention research training to students, partners, and community members, and 5) participate in the PRC Network and collaborate with partners to increase the Network's collective impact. Achieving these aims will allow us to meet the short- and intermediate-term outcomes of the CDC PRC Program and contribute to the long-term outcome of widespread, sustained and scaled-up use of evidence-based programs and systems-wide population health strategies. The USC PRC's core research project is a quasi-experimental, national implementation study of Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN), an evidence-based program unique in its focus on policy, systems, and environment change in churches. Guided by three theoretical frameworks, and with the input of CAB members and translation partners, the specific aims of the core research project are to: 1) develop a web-based approach to prepare church committees to carry out FAN, and promote its availability to churches across the country, 2) deliver the web-based training and support to churches, and examine factors associated with its adoption, 3) examine implementation fidelity, factors associated with implementation, and organizational (church) change, 4) evaluate the costs of hosting and administering the web-based training and support, church costs of training and implementation, and the relationship between church costs and implementation outcomes, and 5) identify and engage key translation partner(s) to house and administer FAN web-based implementation training and support to enhance future reach and sustainability. Implementation aims will be examined through church committee and pastor surveys (registration, baseline, 12 months) in 100 predominantly African American churches in the US. Organizational (church) change will be examined through member surveys (baseline, 12 months) in 20 of these churches (N=600 members). Increasing physical activity, improving dietary intake, and promoting health equity are key goals of the NCCDPHP's environmental approach to preventing chronic disease and Healthy People 2020. Churches are vital but underutilized institutions for health promotion that can contribute to reaching these national goals.