1. METHODS INTRODUCTION RESULTS ACKNOWLEDEGEMENTS REFERENCES  Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) is more prevalent among African Americans (13%) than Non-Hispanic Whites (7%).  Obesity is a risk factor for T2DM and is prevalent among African Americans.  Larger waist circumference (WC) was a measure of obesity associated with developing T2DM. 1  Adaptations of a Diabetes Prevention Program including Group Lifestyle Balance were effective in lowering T2DM risk.  Fit Body and Soul (FBAS) was a single-blinded, cluster randomized trial conducted in 20 Southeastern African- American churches to test the effectiveness of the faith- based adaptation of the Group Lifestyle Balance program compared to a health education control among overweight/obese non-diabetic adults. 2  Participants 603 participants in the Fit Body and Soul study  Measures Demographics Age, gender, education, marital status, employment Obesity Weight and height to calculate body mass index (BMI) Waist circumference at baseline, 12 weeks, & 1 year  Analyses of changes in waist circumference Mann-Whitney U tests 1.Bray, G. A., Jablonski, K. A., Fujimoto, W. Y., Barrett-Connor, E., Haffner, S., Hanson, R. L.,... Diabetes Prevention Program Research, Group. (2008). Relation of central adiposity and body mass index to the development of diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Program. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(5), 1212-1218. 2.Williams, L., Sattin, R., Dias, J., Garvin, J., Marion, L., Joshua, T., Kriska, A., Kramer, K., Echouffo-Tcheugui, J., Freeman, A. & Narayan, V. (2013). Design of a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a diabetes prevention program within African-American churches: The Fit Body and Soul Study. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 34(2), 336–347. 3.Diabetes Prevention Program Research, Group. (2012). Long-term safety, tolerability, and weight loss associated with metformin in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. Diabetes Care, 35(4), 731-737. 4.Katula, J. A., Vitolins, M. Z., Rosenberger, E. L., Blackwell, C. S., Morgan, T. M., Lawlor, M. S., & Goff, D. C., Jr. (2011). One-year results of a community-based translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program: Healthy-Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes (HELP PD) Project.[Erratum appears in Diabetes Care. 2012 Feb;35(2):455]. Diabetes Care, 34(7), 1451-1457. Table 1. Baseline Characteristics (n = 603)  This faith-based adaptation of the Group Lifestyle Balance among African Americans lead to larger reductions in waist circumference than health education alone.  The reduction in waist circumference was less than in other community adaptations of the Diabetes Prevention Program/Group Lifestyle Balance that had a smaller percentage of African Americans. 3-4  This research project was supported by National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, grant # R18DK082401.  The authors thank the Fit Body and Soul Research Team, Pastors, CHAs, and participants as well as the GRU students and volunteer data collectors for their contribution and support of this project.  “Fit Body and Soul using the Group Lifestyle Balance Program” is an adaptation of the Group Lifestyle Balance Program materials by the University of Pittsburgh found at www.diabetesprevention.pitt.edu.  Please contact Dr. Garvin for further information at bgarvin@gru.edu.bgarvin@gru.edu Reducing Waist Circumference among African Americans in the Fit Body and Soul Study Jane T. Garvin, PhD, FNP-BC; Lovoria B. Williams, PhD, APRN-BC; Richard W. Sattin, MD, FACP; Stephen Looney, PhD Georgia Regents University, College of Nursing, Augusta, Georgia AIM  This study aimed to determine if waist circumference decreased following the FBAS intervention when compared with the health education comparison group. CONCLUSIONS Table 2. Change in waist circumference over time DemographicsMean ± SDFrequency (%) Age (years)46.5 ± 10.9 Female84 College graduates51 Married52 Employed73 Obesity Weight (kg) 98.6 ± 23.3 Body Mass Index (BMI)35.7 ± 7.2 Waist Circumference (cm)107.5 ± 15.1 TimeFBASComparisonp Baseline to 12 Weeks-3.03 ± 4.8-0.95 ± 4.9<.001 12 Weeks to 1 Year0.76 ± 4.90.58 ± 5.6.89 Baseline to 1 Year-2.36 ± 6.5-0.06 ± 6.3<.001