PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Determine whether a parent/caregiver intervention or a family intervention can produce greater weight loss among obese African American (AA) parents at 12 months compared to a cancer prevention group (control).~II. Use the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) model, to evaluate individual and church-level barriers and facilitators on program reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance and dissemination.~SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Explore whether a parent/caregiver intervention and a family intervention can produce weight maintenance or weight loss, as determined by change in body mass index (BMI) z-score, among AA children at risk for obesity at 12 months compared to the control group.~II. Determine the extent to which the proposed interventions improve fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, physical activity, blood pressure, body fat percentage, muscle mass and waist circumference.~OUTLINE: Churches are randomized to 1 of 3 groups.~GROUP I: Parents/caregivers whose churches are randomized to Group I, attend monthly health coaching sessions over 1 hour each for 12 months, 9 resource navigation sessions over 12 months, and monthly support groups for 12 months.~GROUP II: Families whose churches are randomized to Group II, attend monthly health coaching sessions over 1 hour each for 12 months, 9 resource navigation sessions over 12 months, and monthly support groups for 12 months.~GROUP III: Families whose churches are randomized to Group III, receive an educational handbook on cancer prevention.
This study tests the effectiveness of parent and family oriented support interventions that are designed to help with weight loss among African American families. Obesity tends to run in families, thus family based interventions, with parents as main change agents have been strongly recommended. The parent and family oriented support Interventions may help facilitate weight loss among African American families.