FAN Program
Results and Articles
The Faith, Activity and Nutrition (FAN) program was funded by the National Institutes of Health from 2006 to 2012. The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and Allen University worked together to promote physical activity and dietary practices consistent with the DASH diet among members of the AME church. The study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop, implement and evaluate FAN.
You can click on the titles of the articles below to learn more about what we found. When you click on these links, you will be taken to an abstract that summarizes the article.
In the article below, we describe the development of FAN using a community-based participatory research approach. Our efforts to modify the social, cultural, and policy environment of the church and engage church leaders are discussed, as well as FAN’s inclusion of a detailed process evaluation and a formal plan for sustainability and dissemination.
Wilcox, S., Laken, M., Parrott, A.W., Condrasky, M., Saunders, R., Addy, C.L., Evans, R., Baruth, M., Samuel, M. (2010). The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Program: design of a participatory research intervention to increase physical activity and improve dietary habits in African American churches. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 31, 323-335. PMID: 21864718
The main findings from the FAN program have been published in the article below. In short, a total of 74 churches across four districts participated in the evaluation of FAN. Overall, FAN church members increased their leisure-time physical activity significantly more than control churches. When analyses were limited to those who completed both pre and post measures, FAN churches also had significantly higher fruit and vegetable intake at follow-up.
Wilcox, S., Parrott, A., Baruth, M., Laken, M., Condrasky, M., Saunders, R., Dowda, M. Evans, R., Addy, C., Warren, T., Kinnard, D., Zimmerman, L. (2013) The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial in African-American Churches. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 44(2), 122-131.
To review the entire article, along with a podcast video describing the FAN program and study findings, please visit the SciVee website: http://www.scivee.tv/journalnode/56520.
A FAN Summary Report was also developed and distributed to churches who took part in FAN, as a way to provide churches feedback about the study findings.
We have published additional articles that explored different aspects of the health behaviors and conditions of members taking part in FAN. They are listed below.
Baruth, M., Addy, C.L., Wilcox, S., Dowda, M. (2011). Clustering of risk behaviors among African American adults. Health Education Journal,71(5), 565-575.
Baruth, M., Wilcox, S., Egan, B.M., Dowda, M., Laken, M., Warren, T.Y. (2011). Cardiovascular disease risk factor clustering among African American adults. Ethnicity & Disease, 21, 129-134. PMID: 21749014
Baruth, M., Wilcox, S., Condrasky, M. (2011). Perceived environmental church support is associated with dietary practices among African-American adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111, 889-893. PMID: 21616203
Warren, T.Y., Wilcox, S., Dowda, M., Baruth, M (2012). Independent association of waist circumference with hypertension and diabetes in African American women, South Carolina, 2007-2009. Preventing Chronic Disease, May, 9:E105. PMID: 22632742