The Fit Body & Soul Program is a diabetes and chronic disease prevention program funded by the Mason Square Health Task Force. The long-term goal of the Fit Body & Soul Program is to reduce obesity & type 2 diabetes (T2D). The immediate goal of our program is to reduce diabetes risk factors by promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyles.Fit Body and Soul uses “Body and Soul” approaches to deliver the lifestyle component of the highly successful clinically based “Diabetes Prevention Program” (DPP) which has been modified with group participation.

The Fit body and Soul program will be offered faith settings in partnership with their leaders and officials along with guidance from experts from both DPP and Body and Soul programs. We will utilize this intervention as an effective way of reducing excess weight, physical inactivity, and elevated blood sugar (risk factors for T2D). We will focus on residents of the Mason Square neighborhood of Springfield, MA, a group with more T2D and more T2D risk factors including more pre-diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity than other areas of the city. Fortunately, recent clinical trials have shown that intensive lifestyle modification programs can be “efficacious” diabetes prevention interventions for adults at high risk for T2D.

Through improving dietary behaviors and increasing physical activity (PA), these programs lead to modest weight loss, lowered blood sugar and reduce future risk of T2D.This strategy is consistent with a growing trend to involve community organizations, especially faith organizations, in health promotion.

The program will be delivered by expert-led church health advisors and supported by church leaders. The primary outcome is weight loss (at least 7% of baseline body weight). Secondary outcomes are increased PA (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise/ week) improved dietary choices, and reduction in blood sugar (e3mg/dL). Data collection will be done at baseline and 6 & 12 months post-intervention. Successful implementation of this program will reduce the incidence of T2D and the associated mortality and morbidity in the Springfield community.