Barriers and Facilitators to 24-Month Maintenance of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program in the U.S.

Little is known about the barriers and facilitators to organizational maintenance of faith-based health promotion programs. This study used qualitative data (collected from 2016-2019) from pastors (n = 81) and program coordinators (n = 103) to identify barriers and facilitators to 24-month maintenance of a faith-based physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) intervention in South Carolina. Barriers differed for PA versus HE: resistance to change impeded HE while church characteristics tended to impede PA. Similar themes emerged for PA and HE facilitators: healthy opportunities, church communication, and consistency. Future research should build upon this study to tailor faith-based health promotion programs for long-term sustainability.