“Sometimes it's the bullying”: an exploratory qualitative study of church leaders' perceptions of dietary health of black American children and youth

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: = 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.