Black Family Reunion Eating Behaviors

Phase 1: The Black Family Reunion is an organized annual event that typically occurs as a three-day weekend affair during the summer months of June through August. These reunions may include as few as 50 people to as many as 500. Our collaborators at the University of North Carolina -Linnan, Dilworth-Anderson & Evans- conducted a feasibility study using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to explore possible intervention strategies aimed at reducing the burden of chronic diseases and cancer among African American families. Their activities provide the opportunity for us to partner with this interdisciplinary team of researchers to conduct the additional research activities described below. In this developmental planning phase, we used a purposive sampling approach to identify 8 family reunion organizers (from 4 reunions) who agree to be interviewed; help recruit reunion participants who will be interviewed; and provide permission for the research team to observe a family reunion event. The study team worked with family reunion organizers to identify four African American families to participate in Phase 1 of the study. We mailed a fact sheet as well as a brief pre-interview questionnaire to organizers asking about demographics, family dynamics, and family reunion logistics. We conducted structured in-depth qualitative interviews with reunion organizers or chairs from four families (n=8) to assess their opinions about how best to conduct formative research within the context of a Black Family Reunion. As part of the structured telephone interview conducted individually with each organizer, we collected information regarding the potential receptivity of the target audience to research related to heredity and eating-related behaviors. We asked the family reunion organizers about the types of activities planned, logistics of the weekend event; and explore ways health and cancer topics might be integrated into the event. Family reunion organizers identified 10 family reunion participants from each of the four families to participate in a structured interview regarding the feasibility of conducting research activities related to disease risk and heredity at family reunions. The research team asked participants questions during the interview to gather ideas/opinions about completing health questionnaires that ask about possible risk factors (e.g. eating habits, tobacco use, exercise habits and family history or preferences that are linked with various diseases such as cancer, heart disease and other chronic health conditions); receiving personal feedback based on responses to health-related questions; and, possibly attending group sessions at the family reunion where patterns of health risk/disease will be discussed. Phase2: Assessment of results from phase 1 is still underway. However, the approaches used for Phase 2 are informed by results of Phase 1. For Phase 2, participants will be drawn from the NIH clinical Centers Clinical Research Volunteer Program (CRVP). Participants in the CRVP database are all volunteers who are willing to participate in NIH-related research studies. All participants will be adults (age 18 to 70 years-old). The healthy volunteers will complete three online surveys. After providing their consent on the study website we will ask participants to complete three online surveys regarding: Survey 1: Eating habits, diet and weight history: Section A includes validated scales assessing six different eating behaviors: disinhibition, food reward sensitivity, binge eating, Food neophobia, pickiness, satiety responsiveness. Section B includes previously developed and validated scales assessing adherence to eating-related weight management behaviors: conscientiousness, self-confidence to manage eating, food intake and frequency, efforts taken to restrict calories and psychological responses to calorie restriction. Section C includes previously developed and validated scales assessing diet and weight history: lifetime weight loss efforts, history of weight loss and gain, current dieting to manage weight. Survey 2: Food preferences and taste sensitivity: This will be the 7th eating behavior that we will consider. This is a general index of food preferences and eating behavior. The test is a standard procedure used in research studies . It will be self-administered by participants with online instructions: participants will receive a link to the survey website, and an envelope with a taste kit to test their bitter taste sensitivity. The taste kit is composed of two paper strips that have been previously impregnated with either PROP/6-n-propylthiouracil (test strip) or with NaCl (control strip). They will answer some questions about their food preferences and then do the taste-test. Survey 3: Beliefs about the role of heredity in eating habits and weight (Phase 2 attachment D): This will include questions to assess participants beliefs about the role of heredity in their own and their blood relatives eating habits and weight. Questions will also assess the family's health history and family social norms related to weight In Phase 3 we will analyze data related to Sub-study aims 2 and 3. If we are able to identify eating behavior clusters, we will proceed to conduct additional quantitative assessments amongst family members.