Modified soul: A culturally sensitive process model for helping African‐Americans achieve dietary guidelines for cancer prevention

“Modified Soul” was tested over a 12‐month period with a focus group of 10 African‐American women, recruited through a social services organization serving an urban public housing project. Methods included focus group interviews (n = 4), observations and chemical analysis of traditional (n = 10) and modified soul food cooking practices (n = 10), and sensory evaluation discussions (n = 10). Four quarterly community center taste‐test events were successfully planned and executed by the focus group. Over half of 21 dishes reduced in fat content by the focus group received taste‐test ratings of “very good” from participants (n = 500). Based on AOAC (1984) methods, mean fat contents (grams per 100 g portions) of modified vegetables (n = 4) and meats (n = 7) were reduced by 68% (from 7.7 ± 4.7 to 2.5 ± 1.6) and 49% (from 15.0 + 4.4 to 7.7 ± 4.4), respectively (p < 0.001). Modified Soul has potential for empowering low‐income African‐Americans to reduce diet‐related cancer risk in their communities.

Key words:

• African‐Americans
• soul food
• social marketing
• social cognitive theory