Describe the process and results of a 4-week health promotion program implemented within a Fellowship of Churches with overweight or obese African American adult congregants using Dr. Carolyn Tucker’s Health Smart Behavior Program.
Tool: Health-Smart Behavior Program by Dr. Carolyn Tucker
Problem: To decrease overweight and obesity amongst African-American adult congregants within a fellowship of Churches
Tool Selection: Dr. Tucker’s Health-Smart Behavior Program was the best tool for this quality improvement project because the model was culturally-sensitive and addressed behaviors that lead to obesity that are commonly engaged in among African-Americans and offered realistic suggestions to help participants change behaviors that contribute to overweight and obesity within the population
Usage: Guided the process for the implementation of the quality improvement program
Results: 95% of the participants lost weight over the 4-week project. Many adopted Health-Smart Behavior changes that were taught in the program (i.e. exercising/moving more, incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their diets, choosing quality, healthy meats, applying biblical ways to help decrease stress, and developing a greater understanding of the importance of caring for your physical body as God intends). Following the customizable Health-Smart Behavior Program – being able to adapt it to meet the 4-week timeframe and use certain portions of the program, along with being able to set time-frame for weigh-ins with participants – were critical to the success of the program. Barriers included implementing the program during the COVID-19 pandemic, which decreased the number of in-person gatherings during the project. The project also had a small number of participants that were not equally representative of all congregations involved in the project
