Dietary change through African American churches: Baseline results and program description of the Eat for Life trial

Background. Eat for Life, a multicomponent intervention to increase fruit a nd vegetable (F & V) consumption among African Americans, is delivered thro ugh African American churches. Methods. Fourteen churches were randomly ass igned to one of three treatment conditions: 1) comparison; 2) culturally-se nsitive multicomponent intervention with one phone call; and 3) culturally- sensitive multicomponent intervention with four phone calls. The interventi on included an 18-minute video, a project cookbook, printed health educatio n materials, and several "cues" imprinted with the project logo and a 5 A D ay message. A key element of the telephone intervention was the use of moti vational interviewing, a counseling technique originally developed for addi ctive behaviors. Major outcomes for the trial included total F & V intake, assessed by food-frequency questionnaires (FFQs) and 24-hour recalls, and s erum carotenoids. Psychosocial variables assessed included outcome expectat ions, barriers to F & V intake, preference for meat meals, neophobia, socia l support to eat more F & V, self-efficacy to eat more F & V, and nutrition knowledge. Results. Baseline mean F & V intakes across the three FFQs rang ed from 3.45 to 4.28 servings per day. Intake based on a single 24-hour rec all was 3.0 servings. Variables positively correlated with F & V intake inc luded self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and a belief that F & V contain vitamins. Factors negatively correlated with intake include perceived barri ers, meat preference, neophobia, and high-fat cooking practices. The comple tion rate for the first telephone counseling call was 90%. Completion rates for the remaining three calls ranged from 79% to 86%. Conclusion. The recr uitment and intervention methods of the Eat for Life study appear promising . The telephone intervention based on motivational interviewing is potentia lly useful for delivering dietary counseling.