Spirituality, Religiosity, and Weight Management in Black Women

Background Obesity is a major concern in the United States and Black Americans are among those with the highest rates of overweight, obesity, and related co- morbidities. While weight loss among Black women has been studied within the context of a faith-based setting, there is little information about the relationship between spirituality, or relationship with the transcendent, and self-efficacy in the achievement and maintenance of a healthy weight. Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among spirituality, self-efficacy for physical activity and healthy eating, and body composition measures among Black women over the period of participation in an existing weight management program. Method Participants were a convenience sample of 83 overweight or obese Black women (M age = 46, SD = 11.6) enrolled in one of five participating 7-week Curves for Women weight management classes offered in California. Spirituality was assessed at baseline, while self-efficacy, behavior, and body composition measurements were collected at baseline, 4 and 7 weeks. Analyses Baseline self-efficacy was significantly positively correlated with spiritual experiences (r = .43, p \u3c .001) and congregational support through love and care (r = .28, p = .02). Baseline self-efficacy and daily spiritual experiences independently explained end-of-program self-efficacy for physical activity (R2 = .53, β = .218, p = .03) and eating variables (R2 = .35, β = .270, p = .01), controlling for age. Self-efficacy to overcome exercise barriers (72.2 vs. 44.6, p \u3c .001) and to continue exercise (87.8 vs. 61.7, p = .03) was was significantly higher among those who met physical activity recommendations during the program, indicating that self-efficacy was related to behavior. Conclusion and Significance to Health Education Interventions with a spiritual component that appeal to Black women for whom spirituality is important, have the potential to be more effective than basic weight management programs without such a component. This study supports the hypothesis that spirituality affects self-efficacy for exercise and eating behaviors, which may ultimately translate into more effective weight management outcomes. Further research is needed to test whether the addition of spirituality as a component of culturally sensitive health education and behavior change programs and practices involving Black women is effective in improving weight loss