A diverse behavioral intervention targeting stroke risk factors was effective in increasing patients’ fruit and vegetable intake, meeting the trial’s primary endpoint; it also reduced sodium intake, a US study suggests. Church-based health promotion may lead to successful primary prevention of stroke. The paper was published online Sept. 15 in the journal Stroke. The study was cluster-randomized and was a pluralistic behavioral intervention trial based on philosophy, cultural sensitivity, and theory. Ten Catholic districts were randomized to either an intervention or control group, and behavioral reductions in key stroke risk factors were assessed. The intervention group received a 1-year diversity intervention that included self-help materials, specific newsletters, and motivational counseling calls. The affiliation of subjects’ spouses and parish cohorts was explained and multilevel models were constructed to test for treatment differences in mean change from baseline (6 and 12 months), which included measurement of intake of dietary sodium, fruits and vegetables, and physical activity using standardized questionnaires. The trial was considered successful if the level of significance of one of the three regressions was 0.05/3. Results showed that of the 801 consenting subjects, 760 completed the baseline data assessment, with 86% completing at least one regression assessment. The median age was 53 years; 84% of the subjects were Hispanic/Latino and 64% were female. Fruit and vegetable intake increased to a greater extent in the intervention group than in the control group (0.25 cups/day, P=0.002), and sodium intake decreased to a greater extent than in the control group (-123.17 mg/d, P=0.04), but there was no difference in the change in moderate- or more vigorous-intensity physical activity (-27 metabolic-equivalent minutes/week, P=0.56).