The North Carolina Black Churches United for Better Health Project: Intervention and process evaluation

The North Carolina Black Churches United for Better Health project was a 4- year intervention trial that successfully increased fruit and vegetable (F& V) consumption among rural African American adults, for cancer and chronic disease prevention. The multicomponent intervention was based on an ecologi cal model of change. A process evaluation that included participant surveys , church reports, and qualitative interviews was conducted to assess exposu re to, and relative impact of, interventions. participants were 1,198 membe rs of 24 intervention churches who responded to the 2-year follow-up survey . In addition, reports and interviews were obtained from 23 and 22 churches , respectively. Serving more F&V at church functions was the most frequentl y reported activity and had the highest perceived impact, followed by the p ersonalized tailored bulletins, pastor sermons, and printed materials. Wome n, older individuals, and members of smaller churches reported higher impac t of certain activities. Exposure to interventions was associated with grea ter F&V intake. A major limitation was reliance on church volunteers to col lect process data.