Religion, social support, fat intake and physical activity

Most research on diet and exercise has focused on these health behaviours as proximate causes of disease, rather than examine the context of how diet and exercise are developed and maintained. This study examined religion and social support in relationship to fat intake and physical activity. Data from surveys of 546 adults aged 17–91 years, residing in one upstate New York county, were analysed. Most relationships between the multiple facets of religion, fat intake and physical activity were not statistically significant. After controlling for demographics and social support, Conservative Protestant women and women specifying an ‘Other’ religious affiliation reported higher fat intakes than did Catholic women. There were no relationships between religion and fat intake in men. In women, religious commitment was associated with greater moderate and vigorous physical activity, whereas in men, divine social support was associated with greater moderate physical activity. Social support did not substantially change the magnitude of the relationships between religion, diet and physical activity. Overall, there were few relationships between religion, fat intake and physical activity, suggesting that in contemporary US society religion may play a small role in the context of how diet and exercise are developed and maintained. The limited range of religiosity in the sample, however, may have underestimated the role of religion. Significant relationships between religion and physical activity in women suggest that further research is needed to more clearly delineate religion's relationship with health behaviours

Linking Beauty and Health Among African- American Women: Using Focus Group Data to Build Culturally and Contextually Appropriate Interventions

African-American women suffer a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality compared to Caucasian women. Addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health requires the engagement of African-American women in the development of interventions that are culturally and contextually appropriate. Three age groups of African-American women who attend beauty salons (18-29; 30-49; 50+) were recruited into six focus groups. Participants reviewed a series of magazine pictures of African-American women and discussed their perceptions of beauty and health. In addition, we explored ideas for how to best intervene in beauty salons. Focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with NVivo 2.0. After a thematic analysis of the substantive content of the transcripts, an iterative process based on grounded theory was used to summarize themes and make recommendations for intervening with contextually appropriate interventions. Beauty and health were each conceptualized as consisting of internal (confidence, attitude, disposition) and external/behavioral elements (hair, dress, eating healthy, exercise). Younger women perceived beauty and health as consisting more of outer dimensions, whereas older women emphasized inner dimensions. From the linkage between beauty and health emerged a consistent theme of beauty from the inside out, where inner aspects of beauty and health were connected with physical health and outer beauty. Participants shared ideas for specific strategies that would help the research team create culturally and contextually appropriate interventions for the beauty salon environment, including the stylist as role-model, materials that depict women with various sizes, shapes and weight loss goals, and graphics exhibiting diversity in terms of beauty and health. Engaging African-American women through focus groups is an important first step when building culturally and contextually appropriate interventions

Bodyweight Perceptions among Texas Women: The Effects of Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Citizenship Status

Despite previous work exploring linkages between religious participation and health, little research has looked at the role of religion in affecting bodyweight perceptions. Using the theoretical model developed by Levin et al. (Sociol Q 36(1):157–173, 1995) on the multidimensionality of religious participation, we develop several hypotheses and test them by using data from the 2004 Survey of Texas Adults. We estimate multinomial logistic regression models to determine the relative risk of women perceiving themselves as overweight. Results indicate that religious attendance lowers risk of women perceiving themselves as very overweight. Citizenship status was an important factor for Latinas, with noncitizens being less likely to see themselves as overweight. We also test interaction effects between religion and race. Religious attendance and prayer have a moderating effect among Latina non-citizens so that among these women, attendance and prayer intensify perceptions of feeling less overweight when compared to their white counterparts. Among African American women, the effect of increased church attendance leads to perceptions of being overweight. Prayer is also a correlate of overweight perceptions but only among African American women. We close with a discussion that highlights key implications from our findings, note study limitations, and several promising avenues for future research

Stress, Race, and Body Weight

Objective: Stress has been identified as a significant factor in health and in racial/ethnic health disparities. A potential mediator in these relationships is body weight. Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between stress, race, and body weight were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of overweight and obese women with Type 2 diabetes (n = 217) enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program. Main Outcome Measures: Stress (Perceived Stress Scale) was assessed at baseline only and body weight (body mass index) was assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results: Stress was not related to baseline body weight. With every 1 unit lower scored on the baseline stress measure, women lost 0.10 kg ± .04 more at 6 months (p \u3c .05). When women were divided into tertiles based on baseline stress scores, those in the lowest stress group had significantly greater weight loss (5.2 kg ± 4.9) compared with those in the highest stress group (3.0 kg ± 4.0) (p \u3c .05). There was a trend for African Americans to report higher levels of stress (20.7 ± 8.8) than Whites (18.3 ± 8.3) (p = .08). Conclusion: The association between higher stress and diminished weight loss has implications for enhancing weight loss programs for women with Type 2 diabetes

Design of a randomized, controlled, comparative-effectiveness trial testing a Family Model of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) vs. Standard DSME for Marshallese in the United States

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a significant public health problem, with U.S. Pacific Islander communities—such as the Marshallese—bearing a disproportionate burden. Using a community-based participatory approach (CBPR) that engages the strong family-based social infrastructure characteristic of Marshallese communities is a promising way to manage T2D. Objectives: Led by a collaborative community-academic partnership, the Family Model of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) aimed to change diabetes management behaviors to improve glycemic control in Marshallese adults with T2D by engaging the entire family. Design: To test the Family Model of DSME, a randomized, controlled, comparative effectiveness trial with 240 primary participants was implemented. Half of the primary participants were randomly assigned to the Standard DSME and half were randomly assigned to the Family Model DSME. Both arms received ten hours of content comprised of 6–8 sessions delivered over a 6–8 week period. Methods: The Family Model DSME was a cultural adaptation of DSME, whereby the intervention focused on engaging family support for the primary participant with T2D. The Standard DSME was delivered to the primary participant in a community-based group format. Primary participants and participating family members were assessed at baseline and immediate post-intervention, and will also be assessed at 6 and 12 months. Summary: The Family Model of DSME aimed to improve glycemic control in Marshallese with T2D. The utilization of a CBPR approach that involves the local stakeholders and the engagement of the family-based social infrastructure of Marshallese communities increase potential for the intervention's success and sustainability