Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-jwnkl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T19:23:22.091Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Utilising the Black Churches in the UK for health promotion: a nutrition intervention for first generation Ghanaian migrants in London

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2013

J. Adinkrah  and
D. Bhakta
J. Adinkrah
Affiliation:
Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing, London Metropolitan University, Holloway Road, London, N7 8DB, UK
D. Bhakta
Affiliation:
Faculty of Life Sciences and Computing, London Metropolitan University, Holloway Road, London, N7 8DB, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An abstract is not available for this content. As you have access to this content, full HTML content is provided on this page. A PDF of this content is also available in through the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Type
Abstract
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 72 , Issue OCE4: Summer Meeting, 15–18 July 2013, Nutrition and healthy ageing , 2013 , E269
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 

Black and African Churches have been used successfully in the United States to deliver health promotion and interventions( Reference Clay, Newlin and Leeks 1 , Reference Campbell, Motsinger, Ingram and Jewell2 ). This study, to our knowledge, is the first in the UK to use the Black Churches setting as a vehicle for nutrition education and intervention. With the notion of churches been very important in the African community, it is hoped that this venue will aid in promoting and hopefully maintaining behavioural change in this population( Reference Reynolds, Klepp and Yaroch 3 , Reference Resnicow, Campbell and Carr4 ).

A nutrition intervention programme was developed with input from focus groups of church congregants and the Obesity Clinic at the London Metropolitan University( Reference Resnicow, Campbell and Carr 4 ). Participants were from two churches in Tower Hamlets and Newham. The church in Tower Hamlets served as the control and the other as the intervention. The control group were provided with a booklet on healthy eating, whereas the intervention group were asked to attend six sessions of nutrition education every week at the Church. The sessions included information on portion size control, eating out etc etc. Baseline measurements of anthropometry, socio-demography and dietary intake were taken and repeated at 6 weeks and 3 months. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated FFQ( Reference Adinkrah and Bhakta 5 ).

We found that both the intervention and control group showed favourable changes of decrease in body weight, BMI, waist circumference and percentage body fat. The changes were significant for body fat and BMI for the intervention group at 3 months (Table 1). Energy, fat and salt intake also decreased in both groups (Table 2).

Table 1. Body composition changes at 3 months

Table 2. Dietary intake changes at 3 months

These preliminary findings show that a culturally sensitive church-based intervention programme can be an innovative way to educate and promote a healthier lifestyle.

References

1. Clay, KS, Newlin, K & Leeks, KD (2005) Can, Cult and Lit, pp 111–115.Google Scholar
2. Campbell, MK, Motsinger, BM, Ingram, A, Jewell, D et al. (2000) H Educ Behav 27(2), 241–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3. Reynolds, KD, Klepp, K and Yaroch, AL (2004) Nutrition Society pp, 106–119.Google Scholar
4. Resnicow, K, Campbell, MK, Carr, C et al. (2004) Am J Prev Med 27, 97–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Adinkrah, J & Bhakta, D (2010) Proc Nutr Soc 69(OCE1), E37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figure 0

Table 1. Body composition changes at 3 months

Figure 1

Table 2. Dietary intake changes at 3 months