“Sometimes it's the bullying”
An exploratory qualitative study of church leaders' perceptions of dietary health of black American children and youth
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24231401 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura O Howard (Capital Pediatrics), Penny A Ralston (0000-0002-1065-0977, Center on Better Health and Life for Underserved Populations, Florida State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2654068-2654068 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-2623 • E-ISSN: 1748-2631 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17482631.2026.2654068 |
| PMID | 41943180 |
| OpenAlex | W7151437989 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
Purpose Childhood obesity rates continue to increase, especially for Black Americans. Few church-based health interventions have focused on children and youth. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine church leaders' perceptions of the dietary health of children and youth.Method As a follow-up study to the Health for Hearts United Dissemination Trial, a focus group was conducted with one of the participating churches in North Florida that had identified child dietary health as a priority. Five adults and three youth (n = 8) participated, guided by four questions. The focus group was recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results Three major categories, five themes and six subthemes were identified. The categories included cultural background, motivators and barriers, and potential dietary initiatives. Themes and subthemes included learned behaviour (commitment and habits), family history, motivating factors (role models), challenging factors (parent involvement, bullying, consistency), and interventions (programs and practices).Conclusions The findings suggest that improving the health of children within the church context is complex. The participants identified several barriers, but also identified motivating factors and were enthusiastic about possible church programs and practices to improve the dietary health of children.
barriers and motivators · bullying · Childhood obesity · church officials · diet and health · family involvement · learned behavior · role models · Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education · Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Smart food policies for obesity prevention
Church-Based Health Promotion Interventions
Childhood and Adolescent Obesity
Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion Programs
Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies
Association Between Dietary Patterns and Bullying Among Adolescents in Sao Paulo—Brazil
Where is the Faith? Using a CBPR Approach to Propose Adaptations to an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in African American Faith Settings
The Development of Health for Hearts United
Outcome evaluation of fruits and vegetables distribution interventions in schools
Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research
The bully-victim overlap and nutrition among school-aged youth in North America and Europe
A Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake Through Black Churches
Health Programs in Faith-Based Organizations
Fruit and vegetable consumption and prevention of cancer
How Many Focus Groups Are Enough? Building an Evidence Base for Nonprobability Sample Sizes
A Community-Partnered Approach to Developing Church-Based Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities Among African-Americans and Latinos
A CBPR Study to Test the Impact of a Church-Based Health Empowerment Program on Health Behaviors and Health Outcomes of Black Adult Churchgoers
| Highly cited | No |
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