Faith-based Interventions Research Articles

Targeted faith-based and faith-placed interventions for noncommunicable disease prevention and control in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol

BackgroundLow- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionately high burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) with severe socioeconomic consequences. Targeted interventions that are faith-based or take place in faith-based settings are historically viable for health promotion and disease prevention programmes. However, evidence of their effectiveness often comes from high-income countries. This paper outlines the protocol for the systematic review of faith-based and faith-placed interventions for NCDs in low- and middle-income countries.ObjectiveTo determine the effectiveness of faith-based and faith-placed interventions or interventions within faith-based settings targeted at NCDs and/or their risk factors in LMICs.MethodsWe will conduct a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, WHO Library, and grey literature to locate published and unpublished studies. We will consider quantitative studies that report on interventions (a) with faith-based components or that take place in faith-based settings (b) for the prevention and control of one or more of the top ten NCDs listed in the Global Burden of Disease or their known risk factors (c) occurring among adults aged 18 and above (d) that take place in one or more LMICs.We will screen the titles, abstracts, and full text of articles for eligibility. Included articles will be critically appraised for quality and the inclusion of faith-based components by at least two independent reviewers. Data extraction will be performed for study characteristics and findings. A meta-analysis will be used to synthesize the results; if impossible, a narrative synthesis will be performed.DiscussionThis review will attempt to synthesize up-to-date evidence to guide effective decision-making, allocation of health resources, and the design of future trials to test the efficacy of NCD interventions in faith-based settings. The study will increase the understanding of the existing evidence, highlight the need for additional evidence, and guide possible directions for future collaborations between public health professionals and faith-based health service providers.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020186299

Qualitative evaluation of a codesigned faith-based intervention for Muslim women in Scotland to encourage uptake of breast, colorectal and cervical cancer screening

ObjectivesThis pilot study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of a codesigned, culturally tailored, faith-based online intervention to increase uptake of breast, colorectal and cervical screening in Scottish Muslim women. The...

Faith-based intervention, change of religiosity, and abstinence of substance addicts

Objective:To investigate the effects of developing religiosity on abstinence of substance abuse among recovering addicts in a faith-based and a secular-based treatment program.Methods:Religiosity of recovering addicts was measured using the 38-item Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality at three points in time: at initiation of substance addiction treatment (wave 1), discharge from treatment (wave 2), and 6 months after treatment (wave 3). Latent growth curve modeling was used to assess the dynamic and developing effects of religiosity on after-treatment abstinence. Secular-based treatment emphasized the role of biological, psychological, and environmental determinants of substance abuse and provided detoxification interventions, such as counseling and group therapies, skill training, health care, and social support, however also relying on religious and spiritual growth to help recovery. Faith-based treatment fundamentally emphasized the Christian theory of addiction to consider substance abuse a sin caused by one’s spiritual void and separation from God, although it also acknowledged the importance of biological, psychological, and social needs of rehabilitants.Results:Recovering addicts in faith-based treatment had significantly higher levels of religiosity at each wave (intercept factor) and better religious development across the three waves (slope factor). This contributed to after-treatment abstinence and mediated the effect of treatment mode on after-treatment abstinence.Conclusion:Service practitioners and researchers should note the importance of dynamic and developing nature of religiosity in relation to the maintenance of abstinence after treatment is completed.

Ridding Canadian medicine of conversion therapy.

KEY POINTS “Conversion therapy” is an umbrella term describing a poorly defined set of psychological, behavioural, physical and faith-based interventions that work to suppress same-sex attraction, or to deter patients from expressing gender identities discordant with sex assigned at birth.[1][1

Abstract PO-188: The relationship of intervention attendance, changes in self-efficacy, social support, health behaviors, and weight loss outcomes among overweight Appalachian adults

Abstract Objectives: To determine whether self-efficacy and social support mediate the association between intervention attendance and changes in health behaviors; and to quantify the dose-response relationship between changes in health behaviors and weight loss outcomes. Methods: Data were from a group-randomized trial that compared a 1-year faith-based weight loss intervention to an active control group among overweight Appalachian adults in churches. Participants from the weight loss group who completed the 12-month assessment were included. Intervention attendance was defined as the percentage of sessions attended. Baseline and 12-month data on weight, self-efficacy for physical activity (SEPA), social support for eating healthy (SSEH), social support for physical activity (SSPA), exercise, and dietary intake were used. Mixed effect models were used to control for the random-effect of geographic regions. Results: Among the 243 included participants, most were female (76.2%), white (97.5%), and married or living with a partner (81.2%). After the 12-month intervention, participants lost 1.12±0.33kg weight, increased 0.44±0.13 servings/day of fruit and vegetable, reduced 321.55±41.99kcal/day of caloric intake, improved SSEH from family and friends, and increased SSPA from the church family (all P<0.05). Each 10% increase in intervention attendance was associated with higher odds of increased SSEH from family (OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.06-1.30) and friends (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.04-1.28), and higher odds of increased SSPA from the church family (OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.12-1.44). SSPA from the church family mediated 96.7% of the association between intervention attendance and total exercise MET·min/week. Although intervention attendance was associated with increased walking MET·min/week, SEPA, SSPA from family/friends/church did not mediate the association. Additionally, with every 100 kcal decrease in caloric intake, weight and BMI decreased at 12-months (0.15±0.05kg, P=0.002; 0.058±0.017kg/m2, P=0.001). After adjusting for exercise, each 100 kcal decrease in caloric intake was associated with a decrease in weight and at 12-months (0.17±0.05kg, P=0.001; 0.065±0.019kg/m2, P=0.001). Conclusion: Social support from the church family plays an important role in increasing physical activity. There was a dose-response relationship between daily caloric intake and weight loss among Appalachian residents. Strategies to improve social support and reduce caloric intake are needed to improve the efficacy of weight loss through lifestyle modifications for this population. Citation Format: Xiaochen Zhang, Ryan D Baltic, Abigail Shoben, Electra D. Paskett. The relationship of intervention attendance, changes in self-efficacy, social support, health behaviors, and weight loss outcomes among overweight Appalachian adults [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-188.

Improving uptake of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services in Benue State, Nigeria through a faith-based congregational strategy.

Nigeria has low antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among HIV-positive pregnant women. In a previous cluster-randomized trial in Nigeria, Baby Shower events resulted in higher HIV testing coverage and linkage of pregnant women to ART; here, we assess outcomes of Baby Shower events in a non-research setting. Baby Shower events, including a prayer ceremony, group education, music, gifting of a "mama pack" with safe delivery supplies, and HIV testing with ART linkage support for HIV-positive pregnant women, were conducted in eighty sites in Benue State, Nigeria. Client questionnaires (including demographics, ANC attendance, and HIV testing history), HIV test results, and reported linkage to ART were analyzed. Descriptive data on HIV testing and ART linkage data for facility-based care at ANC clinics in Benue State were also analyzed for comparison. Between July 2016 and October 2017, 10,056 pregnant women and 6,187 male partners participated in Baby Shower events; 61.5% of women attended with a male partner. Nearly half of female participants (n = 4515, 44.9%) were not enrolled in ANC for the current pregnancy, and 22.3% (n = 2,241) of female and 24.8% (n = 1,532) of male participants reported they had never been tested for HIV. Over 99% (n = 16,240) of participants had their HIV status ascertained, with 7.2% of females (n = 724) and 4.0% of males (n = 249) testing HIV-positive, and 2.9% of females (n = 274) and 2.3% of males (n = 138) receiving new HIV-positive diagnoses. The majority of HIV-positive pregnant women (93.0%, 673/724) were linked to ART. By comparison, at health facilities in Benue State during a similar time period, 99.7% of pregnant women had HIV status ascertained, 8.4% had a HIV-positive status, 2.1% were newly diagnosed HIV-positive, and 100% were linked to ART. Community-based programs such as the faith-based Baby Shower intervention complement facility-based approaches and can reach individuals who would not otherwise access facility-based care. Future Baby Showers implementation should incorporate enhanced support for ART linkage and retention to maximize the impact of this intervention on vertical HIV transmission.

THE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES FACING MUSLIM YOUTH IN THE ERA OF COVID-19

The objectives of this presentation are as follows: 1) participants will recognize the challenges and special needs of Muslim youth and families during COVID-19; 2) participants will identify the impact of COVID-19 on the emotional well-being of Muslim youth; and 3) participants will learn tools that help provide the Muslim youth with culturally and religiously sensitive care. Fatten Elkomy, ARNP, will discuss the impact of school closures and social isolation on Muslim youth. Rakin Hoq, MD, will focus on the religious interpretation of psychotic illnesses for Muslim youth as it relates to COVID-19. Sarah Arshad, MD, will discuss working with suicidal Muslim youth, and Rania Awaad, MD, will discuss her research with Muslim transitional-age youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and faith-based interventions. Muslim youth and families have diverse backgrounds and life experiences. COVID-19 has added to their stress levels, including the trauma of illness and death, uncertainty about the future, and feelings of isolation. It also increased the suffering of those youth who were struggling with mental illnesses. With the stigma of mental illness, the emotional needs of these youth were not well addressed. Thus, culturally sensitive intervention for these youth is recommended to address their special issues and needs. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can provide these youth and their families with the best care when they are able to recognize their special needs and help them overcome obstacles to care in this very challenging time.

Peer-Led, Remote Intervention to Improve Mental Health Outcomes Using a Holistic, Spirituality-Based Approach: Results from a Pilot Study.

In the United States, Black communities face a complex mental health burden, with growing attention on addressing these disparities through the lens of holistic wellbeing. Given the dearth of research on faith-based interventions focused on mental health through the lens of holistic wellbeing, this study evaluates the impact of a spirituality-based, peer-led one-group pre-test post-test pilot intervention in a sample of Black individuals in the Bronx, New York City. The eight-session creating healthy culture curriculum, focused on improving mental health and spiritual wellbeing, was collaboratively developed through community partnerships. Post-intervention results indicated significantly reduced odds of moderate to severe depression (AOR:0.20), and increased sense of community, social support, role of religion in health, flourishing, and reduced trouble sleeping. In-depth interviews with participants further highlighted the interconnected role between psychosocial and mental health indicators. Findings support importance of holistically developing, implementing, and evaluating spirituality-based mental health interventions in Black communities.

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

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

Examination of Breast Cancer Screening Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs among Syrian Refugee Women in a Western Canadian Province.

BackgroundWomen living in the Arab world present low breast cancer screening rates, delayed diagnosis, and higher mortality rates.PurposeTo further explore the Muslim Syrian refugee women’s breast self-examination (BSE), utilization of clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammography.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive exploratory study design was used. The sample consisted of 75 refugee women. Data were collected using Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale, the Cancer Stigma Scale, and the Arab Culture-Specific Barriers to Breast Cancer Questionnaire. Descriptive, Pearson correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the data.ResultsA minority of women had BSE (32%), CBE (12%) and mammograms (6.7%) anytime during their lifetime. Women’s breast cancer screening (BCS) knowledge ranked at a medium level (M = 10.57, SD = 0.40). Low knowledge score, BSE information, policy opposition, responsibility, barriers to BSE, and seriousness were found to be statistically significant in women’s BSE practice. BSE benefits and religious beliefs significantly predict CBE Age, education, knowledge, responsibility, susceptibility, social barriers, and religious beliefs were statistically significant in women’s mammography use (p < .01).ConclusionsParticipants’ breast cancer screening practices were low. Health beliefs, Arab culture and stigma about cancer affected women’s BCS practices. Faith-based interventions may improve knowledge and practices.

Impact of spiritual beliefs and faith-based interventions on diabetes management.

Management of diabetes constitutes significant social and economic burdens worldwide. There is a shortage of empirical studies on the management of diabetes and the associated mental health issues through spiritual beliefs and faith-based interventions (FBIs). It is not also clear how spiritual beliefs and FBIs account for the effective management of diabetic conditions. This article discusses the impact of spiritual beliefs and FBIs in the management of diabetes, from relationship and efficacy studies that report outcomes from experimental procedures of related interventions. The majority of the relationship studies showed positive relationships, while efficacy studies showed a high efficacy of interventions in faith-based approaches. However, none of the studies clearly reported the mechanisms of change or modality of operation in a FBI that can serve as a model across culture and context. Possible mechanisms of change were discussed for further development of a standard faith-based model, and finally, suggestions for future research were also highlighted by the authors.

A Protective Canopy: Religious and Social Capital as Elements of a Theory of Religion and Health

In order to help fill the gap in midrange theory for the religion-health connection, this paper reviews relevant literature on religious capital as well as social capital, a concept with which religious capital is sometimes incorrectly conflated. It identifies elements and mechanisms for each type of capital, including both quality and quantity, and describes evidence for their relationship with health. Expanding, unifying, and integrating these theoretical elements can help better understand the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between religion and health, with concomitant policy implications such as faith-based interventions as well as spur additional research on the topic.

 A Qualitative Examination of the Preparedness of African American Pastors to Address Issues of Addictions

This study qualitatively explored the preparedness of African American pastors to meet the needs of parishioners with addictions. Findings indicated that African American pastors do not always perceive themselves to be prepared to address issues of addiction, and existing cultural barriers challenge collaboration between human services practitioners and African American pastors. Findings also revealed that despite existing cultural barriers, African American pastors are willing to collaborate with professionals who offer educational opportunities in culturally relevant ways. Human services professionals’ ability to understand cultural nuances of African American pastors is of paramount concern to effectively enhance the quality of life for clients utilizing faith-based interventions to meet the needs of individuals with addiction. Recommendations for strategies for human service professionals to build collaborations with pastors of African American churches are provided.

Examining Associations With Mental, Well-Being and Faith in Nurses (LIFT).

The aim of this study was to explore the association between religion/spirituality (r/s) and mental health outcomes in hospital-based nursing staff. The relationship between r/s and health has been studied extensively. Most frequently, r/s has been studied in association with mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and distress among patients. However, hospital-based nurses suffer from the mental health effects of working in high-stress work environments. To date, little research has focused on the relationship between r/s and mental health outcomes in nurses. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 207 nurses from 6 community hospitals. Approximately half of the nurses sampled identified as religious, whereas nearly 75% identified as spiritual. There were significant associations between measures of r/s and mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and mental well-being. This whole-person assessment of nurses may inform future retention and engagement strategies focused on faith-based interventions.

Who benefits from network intervention programs? TERGM analysis across ten Philippine low-income communities

Building social capital and strengthening social networks among members of low-income communities has been recommended as a potential pathway out of poverty. However, it is not clear how network-strengthening interventions and community-based programs interact with pre-existing networks and power structures. We examine the impact of one such intervention in ten low income communities in the Philippines. The intervention is a standardized program of a faith-based organization implemented in thousands of communities in multiple countries. It brings together low-income individuals in each community for 16 weekly sessions about health, income generation, and Christian values. An important but yet unmeasured goal of the intervention is the strengthening of social networks among the participants. We measured the social networks before and after the intervention and analysed their changes both separately and jointly for all ten communities with temporal exponential random graph models (TERGM). We modelled the post-intervention network structures conditioning on the pre-intervention networks, pre-intervention node attributes, and attribute changes through the intervention. We found social engagement (measured by social visits to others) to moderate most consistently the effects of the intervention across the ten communities. Those who were more socially engaged consistently strengthened their networks through the intervention. By contrast, some network mechanisms strongly diverged between the communities. In particular, religiosity was positively associated with gaining social links through this faith-based intervention in some communities and negatively in others. Similar communities may in some aspects react to the same intervention in opposite ways—a phenomenon that should be further explored through studies of larger numbers of comparable networks.

Faith-Based Interventions in the Reintegration of Migrated Displaced Persons into the Society

There is a unique set of forcefully displaced persons from Boko Haram insurgency affected areas in north-eastern Nigeria that migrated back to their ancestral homes in Ogbomoso in the south-western Nigeria. These people are referred to in this research as migrated displaced persons (MDPs) because they are not in any IDP centre or camp, but live among their ancestral relatives. This research investigates the extent Baptist churches in Ogbomoso are responding to re-integrate these migrated displaced persons in Ogbomoso into the society. Semi-structured interviews are conducted among fifteen randomly selected pastors of Baptist churches in Ogbomoso metropolis and three other stakeholders. Some available documents are also used in analysing the collected data. Findings from this study reveal that the churches are responding to some extent to transforming the lives of the migrated displaced Boko Haram victims in the area. Therefore, it is recommended that churches and other faith-based organizations should intensify their efforts in responding to transforming the lives of displaced Boko Haram victims in the area, and they should start having documented records for these efforts.&#x0D; &#x0D; Key Words: faith-based organizations, internally displaced persons, migrated displaced persons, Nigeria, Nigerian Baptist Convention, Ogbomoso land

Eve's Apple: A Faith-Based Nutrition Education Pilot Program for African American Women

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a faith-based intervention, known as Eve’s AppleNutrition Education Program. A nutrition education session was provided once a week for eight weeks at a church, with sessions composed of lecture, discussion, and hands-on activities. Matched pre- and post-program survey data for 38 women showed that participants decreased negative dietary behaviors (emotional eating, snacking on sweets, haphazard meal planning, meal skipping, cultural factors) and increased low-fat eating(p &lt; .01). Although pilot studies may present limitations, this faith-based strategy seems to be promising for addressing dietary behaviors among African American women.

Young Adolescents’ Perceptions of a Faith-Based Physical Activity Intervention in Parochial Middle Schools

ABSTRACT Background: Faith-based school physical activity (PA) interventions are uncommon. Process evaluations of school PA interventions, in general, rarely include student participant voices. Purpose: We interviewed a subset of participants in Physical Activity for Lent (PAL) – a pedometer-based virtual journey that traces Jesus’s life travels – to understand their various perceptions of the program. Methods: Twenty-two participants (77% ethnic/racial minority) in grades 6–8 representing four Catholic schools participated in focus group interviews. A combination of inductive thematic analysis and deductive analysis was used. Results: Participants claimed to be mindful of being physically active; however, their qualifications of mindfulness primarily cited external cues such as friends. Motivation for and enjoyment of PAL were strongly linked to involvement of friends as competitors and PA co-participants as well as striving to walk like/with Jesus. Expressions of gains in knowledge of and connectedness with Jesus were mostly literal. Discussion: PAL was generally well received although its premise of participants being mindful to perform PA in the spirit of Jesus was subservient to reinforcement from friends. Translation to Health Education Practice: Faith-based interventions in schools should include a strong prosocial component. School staff may need to provide verbal input and modeling of connections between physical activity and faith to deepen young adolescents’ understanding of the religious purpose of such interventions.

Challenges of Faith-Based NGO Intervention in Community Development: a Case Study in Bangladesh

The intervention of faith-based non-governmental organizations in the development area is no more an ignored topic due to their comprehensive coverage in humanitarian assistance, rise of global identity politics, and the changing ideological view of development donors and policymakers. However, such engagements are prone to criticisms. This paper aims to report the qualitative findings highlighting the strengths and challenges of faith-based non-governmental organizations in community development, based on a broader convergent parallel mixed-method study of the first author’s PhD work. The study was conducted in the north-western region of Bangladesh, where Islamic Relief Worldwide, a faith-based international non-governmental organization implemented the Action for Peoples’ Rights and Livelihood (APRIL) project for community development. Using a qualitative approach, this study gathered data from in-depth interviews of 11 participants, five focus groups, and 10 key informants. Results showed that faith-based non-governmental organizations made significant contributions in providing services to the ultra-poor without discrimination, offering flexible “pressure-free” loans, and developing a sense of community ownership. Within this spectrum, this study found a number of challenges in the community development efforts. These include (a) continuation of the provision of interest-free loans, (b) sustaining community-based organizations, (c) labeling of proselytization, and (d) deficient implementation mechanisms. Although this paper focuses on a faith-based non-governmental organization in Bangladesh, the findings have global implications, especially addressing the knowledge gap in the existing literature.

An Exploration of U.S. Southern Faith Leaders' Perspectives of HIV Prevention, Sexuality, and Sexual Health Teachings.

Reducing human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) racial/ethnic disparities in the Deep South has been a critical objective of the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy. This finding, originally published in 2010 by the Office of National AIDS Policy, serves as a complement to the Health and Human Resources and Services Administration’s Ending the HIV Epidemic (EtHE): A Plan for America. The EtHE plan, released in 2019, emphasizes community stakeholder involvement to achieve the planning goals of decreasing new HIV infections in key U.S. geographic areas. According to the plan, an important stakeholder is faith leaders, especially around stigma reduction. This paper focuses on a community–academic research partnership’s exploration of southern Black faith leaders’ teaching perspectives regarding HIV prevention, sexuality, and sexual health in predominantly Black congregations in Memphis, Tennessee. The partnership conducted four focus groups using a semi-structured discussion interview. Any adult faith leader involved in ministry work in a predominantly Black church was eligible to participate in the discussion. A total of 26 faith leaders with a mean age of 54, representing four Christian denominations, consented to participate in the study. Emerging themes included: (1) restriction of scripture to teach prevention and address sexuality, (2) role of secrecy and silence in living with HIV, and (3) impact of the stigma of HIV and sexuality. Findings may inform nationwide jurisdictional implementation plans, particularly for faith-based interventions in southern churches working toward ending the HIV epidemic.