Better Me Within Trial to Improve Lifestyle Behaviors in African Americans

Summary

This study describes a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to design a novel faith-enhancement to the diabetes prevention program (DPP) for AA women. A long-standing CBPR partnership designed the faith-enhancement from focus group data. The faith components were specifically linked to weekly DPP learning objectives to strategically emphasize behavioral skills with religious principles. Using a CBPR approach, the Better Me Within trial was able to enroll 12 churches, screen 333 AA women, and randomize 221 after collection of objective eligibility measures. A prospective, randomized, nested by church, design was used to evaluate the faith-enhanced DPP as compared to a standard DPP on weight, diabetes and cardiovascular risk, over a 16-week intervention and 10-month follow up.

Conditions

• Obesity
• Pre-diabetes

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Faith-enhanced diabetes prevention program

The faith-enhanced curriculum was faith-based and developed using CBPR approaches. The Faith-DPP condition included delivery of the DPP. The group intervention was delivered by one to two trained peers from the church and consisted of 16 weekly group meetings followed by 6 bi-monthly or monthly maintenance sessions. The faith enhanced curriculum included five strategies: 1) a mini sermon (\~15 min in length) delivered by a pastor (head pastors were required to deliver at least one per month), first lady, or church leader (pastor associate, deacon, elder, etc.), 2) a memory verse, 3) in class or take-home faith activity (application of faith principles), 4) promises to remember, and 5) scripture and prayer integrated into participant curriculum and facilitator materials. These five faith enhancements were developed by the CAB to enhance the DPP's weekly learning objectives, which resulted in faith components specifically linked to each week of DPP content.

BEHAVIORAL

Standard diabetes prevention program

The S-DPP condition was faith-placed, a secular program (the DPP) held at an faith-based organization. This condition received the same diabetes prevention program (DPP) as the Faith-DPP, but did not receive any faith enhancements or pastor involvement.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of North Texas Health Science Center

  collaborator OTHER

• Baylor Research Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Heather Kitzman, PhD · Baylor Scott and White Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

120 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-02-22

Primary Completion

2017-05-01

Completion

2017-05-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations