Barriers and Facilitators to 24-Month Maintenance of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program in the U.S.

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the barriers and facilitators to organizational maintenance of faith-based health promotion programs. This study used qualitative data (collected from 2016-2019) from pastors (n = 81) and program coordinators (n = 103) to identify barriers and facilitators to 24-month maintenance of a faith-based physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) intervention in South Carolina. Barriers differed for PA versus HE resistance to change impeded HE while church characteristics tended to impede PA. Similar themes emerged for PA and HE facilitators healthy opportunities, church communication, and consistency. Future research should build upon this study to tailor faith-based health promotion programs for long-term sustainability.