Understanding Spiritual Life and Healthy Eating Behaviors Among Older African Americans

Wyndsor II

As the face of aging in our society changes, there is an increasing need for healthy interventions for the elderly. Spirituality and religion are powerful cultural influences for many African Americans and are used as resources to overcome personal, physical and health crises. Churches and other faith-based organizations have become increasingly popular settings to conduct health promotion and research studies, particularly in the African American community. The proposed study is to contextualize the spiritual life and eating behaviors of older adults (63 years and older) using the H.E.A.L. Congregation study. This survey was developed by the research team and utilized a mixed methods approach to assess the role of the church on their health and well-being and administered via Qualtrics to over 300 African Americans across the US. Preliminary analyses identified nearly 75% of participants recognized the church having a role in their spiritual and physical growth.