# Enhancing capacity in faith-based organizations to implement and sustain multilevel innovations to improve physical activity

> **NIH HL R01** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2026 · $677,977

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Despite the benefits of physical activity (PA) to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic
diseases, few adult Latinas meet PA guidelines. Given the central role of faith-based organizations (FBOs)
within the Latino community and their commitment to the well-being of their members, FBOs are ideal settings
for health promotion. Evidence-based approaches for increasing PA and reducing obesity such as Faith in
Action exist, but few PA interventions go to scale. Implementation strategies that enhance the capacity of FBO
leaders and community health workers (promotoras) to implement EBIs can facilitate their uptake. We propose
to enhance Faith in Action with three organization-level strategies designed to increase program fit and
effectiveness: 1) training FBO leaders in health promotion 2) tailoring messaging to enhance fit between Faith
in Action and each unique FBO context, and 3) empowering promotoras to advocate for organizational change.
Given the need to improve strategies to sustain health programs in community settings, we propose to test the
influence of two additional sustainment strategies: 1) strengthening community collaborations and 2) providing
technical support. We will conduct a hybrid type II effectiveness-implementation trial using a clustered RCT
design to test the impact of the proposed implementation strategies on organization-level change and
individual behavior in diverse FBOs for a 12-month intervention and 6-month follow-up. Thirty-two FBOs will be
randomly assigned to a Standard EBI condition (Faith in Action as originally implemented), an Enhanced
condition (Standard condition + organizational-level implementation strategies), or Enhanced + Sustainment
condition (Enhanced implementation condition + sustainment strategies). We will collect quantitative and
qualitative data at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months post baseline. The proposed study aims to:
1) Test the short and long-term impacts of organizat

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11371436
- **Project number:** 5R01HL158538-05
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Elva M Arredondo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** HL
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $677,977
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01T00:00:00 → 2027-02-28T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11371436

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11371436, Enhancing capacity in faith-based organizations to implement and sustain multilevel innovations to improve physical activity (5R01HL158538-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-05 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11371436. Licensed CC0.

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