Save the Children: Why the African American Church should Promote Marriage

Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is affecting the African American community at alarming rates, as African Americans have a greater risk of dementia than other races. The African American church has traditionally been a safe haven where families go for support and healing. However, many churches are not equipped to support families living with dementia. The purpose of this study was to explore ways African American churches can be dementia-friendly to support families affected by dementia. A qualitative descriptive design was used to collect data from 12 African American community stakeholders. Participants were inclusive of caregivers, church leaders, community members, and service providers. During the semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to share characteristics of a dementia-friendly church. Thematic analysis was performed using data from interviews, researcher's journal, and field notes. Responses described a dementia-friendly church as (a) resourceful; (b) welcoming and friendly; (c) inclusive and comfortable; (d) understanding and accepting; and (e) concerned about personal well-being. This study has wide implications not only for African American churches and families, but also for families living with dementia outside of African American faith communities. These findings allow for faith leaders and churches to begin the process of becoming dementia-friendly, thus enabling congregations, communities, and persons with dementia to continue living in meaningful ways. In conclusion, churches are a source of religious support and provide access to resources for families in difficult times. Thus, it is imperative for African American churches to explore ways to best support and meet the needs of families living with dementia.

Sermons to Address Obesity in Partnership With African American and Latino Churches

A religiously-tailored, multilevel intervention in African American churches to increase HIV testing: Rationale and design of the Taking It to the Pews cluster randomized trial

Development of a Church-Based Cancer Education Curriculum Using CBPR Barbra Beck PhD (bio), Staci Young MS (bio), Syed Ahmed MD, DrPH (bio), and Marie Wolff PhD (bio) Keywords Community-based participatory research, cancer, patient education, African American, church Introduction Cancer is the second leading cause of death (following heart disease) in the United States. An estimated 1.4 million cases of invasive cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2005.1 Racial and ethnic minorities constitute a disproportionate number of these cases. African Americans have both higher cancer incidence and higher rates of cancer mortality than Whites. For instance, African American men are 20% more likely than White males to be diagnosed with cancer and are 40% more likely to die, considering all cancers combined. The five year survival rate for African American women diagnosed with breast cancer is 75%, compared with 89% for White females. Differences in survival rates are due to various factors, including poverty, disparities in treatment, reduced access to medical care, and diagnosis at a later stage.2 In general, African Americans have a decreased likelihood of surviving five years after diagnosis for all cancer types in comparison with Whites. Wisconsin cancer incidence and mortality rates mirror national patterns. From 1996 through 2000, Wisconsin's average cancer mortality rate was 195.7 per 100,000 for the whole population and 271.6 per 100,000 for African Americans. The state average for cancer incidence was 454.3 per 100,000 compared with 523.5 per 100,000 for African Americans. Milwaukee County, located in southeastern Wisconsin, has the highest concentration of African Americans in the state (24.6%) and, not surprisingly, significantly higher cancer mortality and incidence rates than the state as a whole (488.7 per 100,000 compared with 218.9 per 100,000, respectively).3 In April 2002 the Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) in the Department of [End Page 28] Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) began to address these cancer disparities by forming a partnership with the MCW Cancer Center, a local hospital, and an African American church. The goal of this partnership is to change inaccurate myths, perceptions, knowledge, and negative attitudes and behaviors concerning cancer. This report will describe the partnership and the collaborative process used to develop, implement, and evaluate a culturally appropriate, literacy-accessible church-based cancer prevention curriculum for underserved African American communities. Partnership Background The CHC was developed in 1997 to form community-academic partnerships to improve health. The Center operates with a philosophy of working with communities instead of doing things to or for them.4,5 In early 2002, the Center joined with the MCW Cancer Center, a local hospital, and a well-respected African American church to provide culturally appropriate cancer education and prevention information, understandable even for those with limited literacy, to the church's faith community. Traditionally, churches have been deeply rooted in African American communities and represent a trusted social institution second in importance only to the family.6 Churches have a strong tradition of caring for people in need and providing fellowship, support, and education. In many low-income neighborhoods, churches provide short-term emergency assistance to individuals and families in the form of food, clothing, and shelter.7 The faith community, particularly the African American church, has been a partner and/or site for the delivery of health education messages for at least the past two decades.8 Programs that encourage healthy eating, early and routine mammograms, and prostate screening have all been successfully implemented at African American churches throughout the country. 9,10,11,12,13 A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was used to develop and implement a series of activities within the church to increase cancer awareness and knowledge, and to motivate participants to seek recommended screening and early detection. Community-based participatory research is a collaborative partnership approach to research that equitably involves in all aspects of the research process those who are affected by the issue being studied—community members, organizational representatives, and academic researchers.14 The process assists with a) development of trust and mutual acceptance between researcher and community, b) verification of...

BackgroundDisparities in brain health outcomes often involve African American individuals. To achieve the highest impact for health care initiatives; effectively engaging with African American communities is crucial. One method to reach African American communities is to effectively collaborate with churches. Churches are often seen as the cornerstone of African American communities and should be regarded as a key partner in health care research. Churches have opportunities to respond to the health needs of their respective congregation and communities. For this presentation, we will outline effective strategies for engaging African American churches in promoting behavior change to enhance health equity for health care research.MethodsStrategies include: a) Learning the history of the church, b) Selecting the best person to represent your organization, c) Having a clear ask, d) Engaging in honest conversations with leadership, e) Being persistent and engaging in church sponsored activities, and f) Offering a sustainability plan.ResultsThe implementation of these strategies requires planning, time, and commitment. For example, Alter (nurse‐led dementia‐friendly congregation program) has implemented these strategies over a 2‐year period and excelled in promoting brain health and reducing dementia stigma in African American communities.ConclusionHealth professionals and researchers can use these strategies within their practices and research to improve health and promote health equity for African American individuals and communities.

In An African American Discourse Community in Black & White: The New Orleans Tribune, an archival study of the first black-owned daily newspaper in the United States, I argue that the newspaper rhetorically constructed a literate African American discourse community worthy of citizenship and equal political rights within the public sphere of Reconstruction United States. Although contemporaneous media in the South depicted blacks as both unable to read and write and as culturally illiterate, I demonstrate how articles across the lifespan of the Tribune represented, as well as encouraged and enabled, multiple literacies within the African American community. I ultimately argue that the newspaper created an identity as citizen for free and emancipated blacks alike through its inclusion of evidence of blacks’ education and knowledge of historical texts; black men’s economic and agricultural literacies and black women’s domestic skills; and the community’s understanding of civics. Scholars within periodical studies, who have focused primarily on Victorian Britain, have argued that periodicals provide a unique space for historically oppressed populations to enter public discourse. This project links literacy studies, periodical studies, and African American studies by extending this reasoning to the literacy practices of African Americans and by investigating how the staff of the New Orleans Tribune sought entrance to public discourse but also circulated a counterdiscourse that challenged dominant stereotypes of blacks. Simultaneously, this project questions how the lack of scholarly work on the Tribune, “the most important Negro newspaper of the Civil War era,” continues to remind researchers that the erasure of African American resistance and agency is not unique to Reconstruction, but is replicated through tellings of history and accessibility of archives within the academy today. An African American Discourse Community in Black & White: The New Orleans Tribune uses the newspaper to retell the history of African American literacy in Reconstruction New Orleans as one of agency and oppositionality. Ultimately, I argue that the Tribune used self-representations of blacks’ literacy practices to rhetorically construct an African American discourse community that was worthy of citizenship and therefore suffrage.

IntroductionThe African American church is a highly influential institution with the potential to greatly increase the reach of HIV prevention interventions and address HIV-related stigma in US African American communities. However, there are few studies on HIV-related stigma and African American church populations. This study explored HIV-related stigma among church and community members participating in an HIV education and testing intervention pilot study in African American churches, named Taking It to the Pews.MethodsFour African American churches located in Kansas City, MO and KS, were randomized to either intervention or comparison groups. Churches assigned to the intervention group received religiously tailored HIV education, testing and compassion messages/activities (e.g., sermons, brochures/church bulletins, testimonials) via the Taking It to the Pews HIV Tool Kit. Comparison churches received non-religiously tailored HIV information. HIV-related stigma was assessed with 543 church members and with community members served through church outreach services (e.g., food/clothing pantries, social services) in the four churches. Participants completed surveys at baseline, 6 months and 12 months to assess their HIV-related stigma beliefs, exposure to intervention components and satisfaction with the study.ResultsAt baseline, HIV-related stigma beliefs were similar across experimental groups and were quite low. Mean HIV-related stigma scores were not significantly different between experimental groups at 6 months (p=0.92) or at 12 months (p=0.70). However, mean HIV-related stigma scores within both groups showed decreasing trends at six months, which approached significance. Analysis of previously studied HIV-related stigma factors (e.g., age, gender, income, HIV knowledge, religiosity) did not yield changes in the null findings. Intervention group participants were highly exposed to several intervention components (sermons, HIV resource tables, posters, brochures/church bulletins). Overall, participants were highly satisfied with the intervention pilot study.ConclusionsAfrican American churches may be well positioned to increase the reach of HIV prevention interventions to church and community members and could serve an important role in addressing HIV-related stigma in their church communities. Future research is needed on measuring HIV-related stigma beliefs and on testing intensive, scalable, religiously tailored HIV interventions to impact HIV-related stigma in African American churches.

Identifying health conditions, priorities, and relevant multilevel health promotion intervention strategies in African American churches: A faith community health needs assessment

African Americans' Faith and Religion Historically, religion and spirituality have been major influences in the social, cultural, and political lives of African Americans. Spirituality is deeply embedded into their rich cultural heritage, and it is intertwined into all aspects of their lives, including beliefs about health and illness. For African Americans, health and illness are a dynamic entity, governed by body, mind, and soul. Therefore, it is imperative that any adult learning initiatives include the importance of cultural dynamics. Religion provides individuals with a shared world view that they come to experience as persuasive and meaningful. Given its historical and ongoing role within the African American community, the church offers an ideal setting for health promotion and prevention activities as well as religious educational opportunities. Such health activities are warranted because: (a) African Americans have lower life expectancies, (b) they are less likely to have health insurance, and (c) they make fewer primary care office visits when compared to their white counterparts (Harris, 2001). The African American church can be viewed as a positive influence in the African American community. It provides spiritual guidance and direction as well as helps meet the day-to-day needs of congregants through a broad range and use of social services and commitment to the community. Diabetes, Incidence, and Prevalence Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar, starches, and other foods into energy needed for daily life. There are many theories that attempt to elucidate the cause of diabetes, including genetics, and environmental factors, such as obesity, lack of exercise, and poor nutritional habits. Regardless of the cause, diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions, both nationally and internationally' It is the sixth leading cause of death for Americans in the United States. It is estimated that 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, a condition that leads to overt diabetes if not properly managed (American Diabetes Association, 2008). More than 2.2 million African Americans have diabetes; 1.5 million have been diagnosed and 730,000 have not yet been diagnosed. African Americans are disproportionately affected with diabetes, and it has been estimated that there are four times as many African Americans diagnosed with diabetes today as there were in 1968. Approximately 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes are considered type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes). This condition occurs when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin it makes. This form of diabetes usually develops in adults over the age of 40, but is becoming more prevalent in younger age groups, including children and adolescents. Common symptoms of type 2 diabetes are: (a) feeling tired or ill, (b) unusual thirst, (c) frequent urination, especially at night, (d) unexplained weight loss, (e) blurred vision, (f) frequent infections, and (g) slow-healing wounds. In very rare cases, there may be no symptoms at all. In adults, there are several other risk factors associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Having a family history of type 2 diabetes puts one at greater risk for the disease. Increased body weight also raises the risk. With age, the body becomes more resistant to the actions of insulin; therefore, as one ages, the incidence of type 2 diabetes is likely to increase. Lifestyle factors, such as lower rates of physical activity and poor dietary and nutritional practices, also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes in African Americans Despite the overall health of the United States population having improved over the past two decades, diabetes has reached epidemic proportions among African Americans and contributes significantly to higher morbidity and mortality rates in this population. …

Background African Americans are disproportionately burdened by HIV. The African American church is an influential institution with potential to increase reach of HIV prevention interventions in Black communities. Purpose This study examined HIV testing rates in African American churches in the Taking It to the Pews pilot project. Using a community-engaged approach, church leaders delivered religiously-tailored HIV education and testing materials/activities (e.g., sermons, brochures/bulletins, testimonials) to church and community members. Methods Four African American churches (N=543 participants) located in the Kansas City metropolitan area were randomized to intervention and comparison groups. Receipt of an HIV test was assessed at baseline and 6 months. Results Findings indicated intervention participants were 2.2 times more likely to receive an HIV test than comparisons at 6 months. Church leaders delivered about 2 tools per month. Conclusions Church-based HIV testing interventions are feasible and have potential to increase HIV testing rates in African American communities.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH PASTORS IN THEIR DELIVERY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IN SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON, DC By Dennis C. Parker, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Major Director: Dr. William C. Bosher, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Public Policy L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs President Bush’s Executive Order 13279 (December 12, 2002) encouraged the government to work with faith-based organizations to provide human services (i.e., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, employment, homelessness services, and health care) to serve America’s low-income populations. Faith-Based Initiatives, and now President Obama’s Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships Initiative have created the foundation for further partnerships between faith-based organizations and local, state, and federal governments. Limited information exists regarding the overall effectiveness of the programs in encouraging churches, specifically African American churches, to engage in services delivery. This study explores the perceptions of church leaders that influence faith-based organizations, specifically African American churches in the southeast region of Washington, DC, to provide human services. The District of Columbia has eight local wards: southeast Washington encompasses Wards 7 and 8, and has a high concentration of poverty and African Americans. The District of Columbia Department of Human Services (2010) reports that in the year 2009, 97% of Ward 7 residents were African American with 26% residing in poverty; 94% of Ward 8 residents were African American with 35% residing in poverty. The work of early sociologists, W. E. B. Dubois and Franklin Frazier is utilized to frame the theoretical background (Ethnic Identity Model) for this study. Additionally, this study relies on an African American church analysis by Lincoln and Mamiya (1990) to highlight the historical and current role of the African American church. The purpose of this study was to examine the churches of southeast Washington, DC and the level of human services provided between 2000 and 2010, during both the Bush and Obama Administrations, to understand the perceptions of the factors that influenced the level of human services during the same time frame. The study utilized a qualitative design with descriptive statistics to shed light on human service delivery of faith-based organizations in the African American community. A semistructured interview was performed on a convenience sample of 20 pastors/church leaders of churches in southeast Washington, DC. These 20 churches were identified through the District of Columbia’s yellow pages and, additionally, other data sets including advocacy organizations and community groups. This study found that neither President’s Bush’s or Obama Faith Based Initiative significantly influenced the level of provision of human services by African American Churches located in Wards 7 and 8 of southeast Washington DC. Also this study found that the majority of African American churches in wards 7 & 8 in Washington DC are more flexible and able to determine the types of services they provide by the presenting community needs. The study results will inform policymakers about whether, and how, the churches’ role in service delivery changed after the implementation of President Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative. Presidents Bush and Obama view churches and community-based organizations as strong frontline resources to address desperate challenges related to poverty, but little is known about the effectiveness of their initiatives. The results of this analysis will assist churches, community organizations, and policy formulators in providing information that will help policymakers to make more informed decisions about the potential impact of churches for service delivery in the African American community. It will also provide information about barriers to participating as partners with the government.

Previous research on Philadelphia, Mississippi and Neshoba County focuses overwhelmingly on the 1964 murders and subsequent legal trials (in 1967 and 2005), providing relatively little insight into the area’s commemorative practices. Furthermore, such research often depicts the twenty-five years following the murders as “the long silence,” a description that is not entirely accurate. It overlooks the annual commemoration services hosted by Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, the African American church that the three civil rights movement workers visited just before their deaths. This chapter recognizes and reconstructs the commemorative activities of Philadelphia’s African American community, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Neshoba County in 1966 and other resistance to the local Ku Klux Klan. Doing so uncovers two distinct communities of memory: one characterized by Philadelphia’s dominant white public sphere, the official, government-sanctioned memory; the other representing a powerful and persistent countermemory embedded in Philadelphia’s African American community. In doing so, this chapter positions the twenty-fifth and fortieth anniversary commemorations within historical context, uncovering the mnemonic landscape that preceded the emergence of these two community-wide commemoration services.

An initial and vital important step in recruiting participants for church-based hospice and palliative care research is the establishment of trust and credibility within the church community. Mistrust of medical research is an extremely important barrier hindering recruitment in African American (AA) communities. A church-based EOL dementia education project is currently being conducted at four large urban AA churches. Church leaders voiced mistrust concerns of previous researchers who conducted investigations in their faith-based institutions. We explored strategies to ameliorate the mistrust concerns. Specific aim: To identify trust-rebuilding elements for researchers following others who violated trust of AA church leaders. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted from a convenient sample of four established AA church leaders. Interviews were held in the informants' churches to promote candor and comfort in revealing sensitive information about trust /mistrust. Content analysis framework was used to analyze the data. Elements identified from the analysis were then used to create themes. Multidimensional overarching themes emerged from the analysis included: Experience with researchers (positive and extremely negative), violation of trust and trust building strategies. Findings suggest that researchers who wish to conduct successful studies in the AA religious institutions must implement trust rebuilding strategies that include mutual respect, collaboration and partnership building. If general moral practices continue to be violated, threat to future hospice and palliative care research within the institutions may prevail. Thus, potential benefits are thwarted for the church members, AA community, and advancement of EOL care scholarship.

Among major racial and ethnic groups in the USA, African Americans are the most religious, and faith-based organizations play an important role in health promotion for African Americans. This study aimed to assess health needs in African American churches using a mixed-methods approach. Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from eight African American churches in Nebraska in 2017, the most prevalent chronic conditions among participating African American church members (n = 388) included hypertension (60.8%), allergies (41.0%), arthritis (36.4%), high cholesterol (35.8%), and diabetes (28.1%). Significant predictors of fair or poor health were identified as male sex, unemployment, delayed utilization of health care in the past 12months due to cost, lower frequency of church attendance, and feeling down, depressed, or hopeless in the past 2weeks. Pastors from participating churches identified cost as one of the primary barriers to providing church-based health services. There were substantial unmet health needs in African American faith communities, especially in the areas of chronic disease prevention and management, and churches would need more support to realize their full potential in faith-based health promotion.

The African American community extends across the United States, representing various socioeconomic statuses, educational levels, religious groups, and other social factors. With a vibrant history and culture dating back to colonial America and beyond, African Americans have significantly contributed to the nation’s culture and systems. Statistics paint a picture of vast economic disadvantages, educational inequities, and additional negative circumstances within the African American community, but they do not outline the social and political systems that created these differences. Solely looking at the statistics also omits the accomplishments, feats, and strengths of those within the shared racial group. This chapter will explore the historical events that continue to impact the cultural values and practices of African Americans. Additionally, the chapter will define racial development, the impact of childhood adversity, and historical trauma. With the expansion of applied behavior analysis (ABA), this chapter seeks to provide behavior analysts and those implementing behavior analytic programs points of consideration specific to African American learners, families and communities.