Fit Body and Soul: A Diabetes Prevention Study

Fit, Body & Soul (FBS) is a diabetes prevention program, initiated by MCG School of Nursing in partnership with faith-based communities to promote healthy lifestyles and wellness. Offered in partnership with African American churches in the Southeast, the program has been modified from two nutrition programs (Body & Soul and Diabetes Prevention Program) to promote weight loss, improve physical activity and promote healthy eating behaviors among local parishioners. This program was funded by the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research College of Preventive Medicine.

The pilot for the program was conducted at Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia. More than 40 members of this congregation took on the challenge to lose weight and improve their health. The study is successful in achieving its goals, and Fit Body and Soul is gaining recognition as a viable solution for many of the health issues that plague the African American community.

The research team have enlisted the support of the National Institutes of Health to translate this successful intervention in 20 African American churches through a randomized-controlled trial.

 

Pictured above, the Fit Body and Soul study participants and research team.