Congratulations to Kaitlyn Daly, PhD student, who has been selected by The Duke Divinity School to receive a Black Church Health Promotion Grant in support of her dissertation project seeking to understand and engage Black churches in health promotion for healthy eating. The proposal is entitled "Understanding and Engaging Black Churches in Health Promotion for Healthy Eating." This award is for a two-year period starting May 1, 2021.

The purpose of Daly’s study is to explore and test prosocial orientations toward health to improve healthy eating among Black churches in rural, food insecure areas of North Carolina. This mixed methods study aims to 1) explore among Black church leaders and members the perceptions of one’s role in taking care of his or her own health and the health of others and 2) design, manipulate and test the effect of prosocial, individualistic, and neutral (control) health messaging on individual and congregational healthy eating behaviors among Black church leaders and members.

Daly’s faculty sponsors are Isaac Lipkus, professor, and Tolu Oyesanya, assistant professor.