Purpose: Previous DPP translations in African American women have been suboptimal. This trial evaluated a community-based participatory research developed faith-based diabetes prevention program (DPP) to improve weight loss in African American women.
Design: This cluster randomized trial allocated churches to faith-based (FDPP) or standard (SDPP) DPP interventions. Setting. African American churches. Subjects. Eleven churches with 221 African American women (aged 48.8 ± 11.2 years, BMI = 36.7 ± 8.4) received the FDPP (n = 6) or SDPP (n = 5) intervention.
Intervention: FDPP incorporated 5 faith-based components, including pastor involvement, into the standard DPP curriculum. The SDPP used the standard DPP curriculum. Lay health leaders facilitated interventions at church sites.
Measures: Weight and biometrics were collected by blinded staff at baseline, 4- and 10-months.
Analysis: A multilevel hierarchical regression model compared the FDPP and SDPP groups on outcomes.
Results: FDPP and SDPP churches significantly lost weight at 10-months (overall -2.6%, p < .01). Women in FDPP churches who attended at least 15 sessions lost an additional 6.1 pounds at 4-months compared to SDPP corresponding to a 5.8% reduction at 10-months (p < .05). Both groups had significant improvements in health behaviors and biometrics.
Conclusions: Faith-based and standard DPP interventions led by lay health leaders successfully improved weight, health behaviors, and chronic disease risk. However, the faith-based DPP when fully implemented met the CDC's recommendation for weight loss for diabetes prevention in African American women.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04082702.
Keywords: African American; community-based participatory research; diabetes prevention program; faith-based; weight loss.