Faith-based Programs Research Articles

Book Review: Religious Faith in Correctional Contexts

As homo sociologicus, we live in an extremely interactive society which greatly relies on predictable and expectable master patterns of human behaviors. Numerous academics have explored breaches in anticipated behavioral patterns and have suggested methods of how to deal with them. A modern government aims to decrease abstruse, belligerent social disturbances mainly based on legal sanctions, primarily incarceration; however, we are without perfect solutions despite those tremendous efforts and investments. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) data show that the number of inmates in US state and federal prisons increased again in 2013 after a 3-year decline in the prison population since 2010 (Carson 2014). As Robert Martinson’s ‘‘nothing works (1974)’’ doctrine casts its dark shadow, we have experienced a breakdown of the criminal justice system in terms of incarceration and recidivism rates. To complicate matters further, recent economic downturns have fed a ‘‘more with less’’ philosophy in governments. This neo-liberal philosophy stimulated the criminal justice market, and we have seen the appearance of private prisons. The Bureau of Justice Assistance started the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in 2006 to address these budgetary concerns (Alarid and Reichel 2013). As a part of the result, most governments have introduced various intermediate sanctions to decrease incarceration rates and adopt a wide range of cost effective rehabilitation programs to decrease recidivism. Here faith-based rehabilitation programs found a niche. Kerley suggests that a faith-based program can be a cost-effective option for inmates’ rehabilitation. Having planned to pave an empirical road for a faith-based rehabilitation program in correctional facilities, Kerley collected data by

Incorporating Evidence-Based Practices into Faith-Based Organization Service Programs

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are increasingly involved in providing a range of services in communities and research indicates that such involvement will increase in the future. However, like other types of organizations, FBOs generally have been slow to embrace evidence-based practices (EBPs)—those that have scientific evidence of being beneficial. We contend that incorporating EBPs into both new and existing FBOs’ service programs can enhance their effectiveness. In this paper, we discuss several relevant issues when implementing EBPs within FBO service. In this discussion we briefly explore FBO service provision, public policy to increase funding for FBO service, criteria for EBPs, and provide some considerations for future applications of EBPs within FBOs.

Delivering a “Dose of Hope”: A Faith-Based Program to Increase Older African Americans’ Participation in Clinical Trials

BackgroundUnderrepresentation of older-age racial and ethnic minorities in clinical research is a significant barrier to health in the United States, as it impedes medical research advancement of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to develop and test the feasibility of a community-developed faith-based intervention and evaluate its potential to increase the number of older African Americans in clinical research.MethodsUsing a cluster-randomized design, we worked with six matched churches to enroll at least 210 persons. We provided those in the intervention group churches with three educational sessions on the role of clinical trials in addressing health disparity topics, and those in the comparison group completed surveys at the same timepoints. All persons enrolled in the study received ongoing information via newsletters and direct outreach on an array of clinical studies seeking participants. We evaluated the short-, mid-, and longer-term effects of the interventional program on clinical trial-related outcomes (ie, screening and enrollment).ResultsFrom 2012 to 2013, we enrolled a balanced cohort of 221 persons in the program. At a 3-month follow-up, mean intention to seek information about clinical trials was higher than baseline in both treatment (mu=7.5/10; sigma=3.1) and control arms (mu=6.6/10; sigma=3.3), with the difference more pronounced in the treatment arm. The program demonstrated strong retention at 3-month (95.4%, 211/221) and 6-month timepoints (94.1%, 208/221).ConclusionsThe “Dose of Hope” program addressed an unmet need to reach an often overlooked audience of older African Americans who are members of churches and stimulate their interest in clinical trial participation. The program demonstrated its appeal in the delivery of effective messages and information about health disparities, and the role of clinical research in addressing these challenges.

Bible College Participation and Prison Misconduct: A Preliminary Analysis

We analyzed whether a Bible college program had an impact on prison misconduct by examining 230 offenders in the Texas prison system. Findings suggest participation in the Bible college significantly improved offender behavior, reducing misconduct by one discipline conviction per participant. The results also showed that participation significantly decreased the risk of incurring a discipline conviction, lowering it by 65 percent for minor misconduct, 80 percent for major misconduct, and 68 percent for any misconduct. The findings are consistent with existing research, which has generally found that participation in prison-based programming, including educational and faith-based programs, produces better misconduct outcomes.

Short Term outcomes of a Faith-based Obesity Attenuation and Prevention Program for Low Income African American Children: CHHIL Feasibility and Efficacy Study

Background: The CHHIL is a faith-based, culturally tailored and multi-level obesity attenuation and prevention program for African American (AA) children and adolescents in low-income church community. The study objective is to test the feasibility and efficacy of 8 weeks CHHIL intervention. Methods: This is a sequential mixed methods study design, examining the feasibility and efficacy of 8 weeks CHHIL intervention conducted at a low income neighborhood AA church. All sessions were conducted at the AA church, after Sunday services. Parents and children separately attended seven weekly group sessions focused on lifestyle modification. Participants: 1) an AA church member; 2) age 8-17 years; 3) Child BMI of 85%-95% or parent with BMI ≥ 25 or family history of type 2 diabetes. Eleven families (child and at least one parent/guardian) were recruited. At the baseline and then every week for 7 weeks children’s nutrition, physical activity (PA) and anthropometric information was obtained. Primary outcomes were changes in dietary intake/patterns and BMI at the end of 8-weeks CHHIL program. Changes in outcome measures were assessed using paired samples t-tests, ANOVA and non-parametric tests. Results: Of the 11 children and adolescents who enrolled, seven (63%) completed the 8-weeks program. Overall there was a trend among the children and adolescents to decrease total calories (kcals), protein, and carbohydrates consumed overtime. Participants consumed significantly lower levels of sodium from baseline to end of the program (P<0.001). At the end of 8 sessions (7 weeks), no significant change in BMI and other anthropometric parameters was seen at the end of the program. Conclusion: The CHHIL program may be a promising option for health behaviors changes and thus changes in weight for church-based ethnic minorities. However trend towards improvements in dietary behaviors were observed, no impact on anthropometric measures were seen requiring further research with longer program duration. With increasing burden of health disparities, childhood obesity prevention research must now move towards identifying how effective intervention components can be embedded within health, education and care systems and achieve long term sustainable impacts.

Abstract A34: Church-based recruitment and retention of Appalachian adults in an eHealth program to reduce obesity

Abstract Purpose: Appalachia is a socioeconomically-disadvantaged region with limited preventive health services. The ACCN is a NCI-funded research initiative that collaborates with community-based cancer coalitions to increase awareness, provide education, and promote cancer prevention. Using CBPR principles, ACCN researchers are testing in a group randomized trial a faith-based program focused on obesity, a modifiable risk factor for cancer. The primary outcome is change in body mass index from baseline to twelve months. Secondary outcomes are changes in physical activity, diet and blood pressure, and the maintenance of the intervention effect during a sustainability period. This paper focuses on participant recruitment to this faith-based program and retention of enrolled participants throughout the 12-month intervention phase. Methods: The project employed CBPR strategies to recruit participants following principles put forth in the Accrual to Clinical Trials (ACT) Framework. The program is based on Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical Model. The research team includes ACCN, Viocare, Inc., community coalitions, community members, and churches. Community coalitions assisted in identifying churches and designing educational sessions. Participants were recruited through bulletins and announcements from the pulpit. Individuals attended an information/screening session conducted by regional and local staff, or completed a private screening with local staff. In order to keep participants engaged in the program throughout the 12-month intervention phase, education sessions were held monthly and included activities, games, trivia, healthy snacks, and prizes. Gift cards were given to all participants who completed 12-month outcome screenings. Results: As of 8/31/2013, 22 churches have enrolled into the study. 715 church members were screened. Of those, 606 (84.8%) were determined to be eligible, and 566 (93.4%) of those eligible enrolled as participants. Main reasons for ineligibility included BMI &amp;lt; 25 (53.2%), not completing all baseline screenings (25.7%), and existing dietary restrictions (7.3%). To date, 47 participants have withdrawn from the study (8.3%), with the most cited reason having to do with time constraints. Conclusion: Congregation size most significantly limited recruitment in that it was more difficult to recruit at smaller churches. This may be avoided by discussing congregation size and interest with church leaders before selecting churches. Geographical barriers in rural Appalachia impacted participant recruitment and retention in some churches, but assistance from church navigators and field staff helped to abate this. Distrust of outsiders, a common characteristic in Appalachia, slowed recruitment, but regional staff presence at church and community events supported successful recruitment. Recruitment strategies will continue to be modified as accrual is completed in Fall 2013. Although the intervention phase is ongoing in the majority of the churches, it has been observed that motivated and engaged church navigators and leaders positively impact participant involvement. Citation Format: Ryan Baltic, Electra D. Paskett, Stephenie Kennedy, Gene Lengerich, Karen Roberto, Nancy Schoenberg, Samuel Lesko, Mark Dignan. Church-based recruitment and retention of Appalachian adults in an eHealth program to reduce obesity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A34. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-A34

The Resurgence of Religion in America’s Prisons

This article discusses the growing prominence of “faith-based” programs in American corrections and the historical context of penal regime change during periods of economic crisis. The article traces areas of overlap and divergence in recent discussions of penal reform in the U.S. The article suggests a new American penitentiary movement is emerging, noting central tenets of faith-based programs have salience for both conservatives and liberals: on the one hand, faith-based programs are largely paid for by church congregations and volunteers, which appeals to conservatives’ desire to shrink government and get taxpayers out of the business of community building; on the other, faith-based programs demonstrate a recommitment to having at least some level of programming in prisons, which satisfies the left’s view that community building and social capital ultimately lower recidivism. The paper documents several prominent faith-based correctional programs while articulating an agenda for research.

Optimal Health (Spirit, Mind, and Body): A Feasibility Study Promoting Well-Being for Health Behavior Change.

Faith-based programs have shown beneficial effects for health and behaviors. Few have specifically intervened on the spiritual, mental (i.e., stress), and physical dimensions of well-being combined for health and healthy behaviors (i.e., exercise and diet). The purpose of this report is to describe the feasibility of executing a spirituality-based health behavior change, program founded upon the Spiritual Framework of Coping. This study was a quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design. Feasibility objectives were assessed, and limited efficacy of pretest and posttest measures was analyzed using paired t test (p < .05). Acceptance of the program was positive, and modest demand was shown with initial interest and an average attendance of 78.7%. The program was successfully implemented as shown by meeting session objectives and 88% homework completion. The program was practical for the intended participants and was successfully integrated within the existing environment. Limited efficacy measures showed no pre-post changes. This study provided preliminary support for the design and further testing of the theoretical components of the Spiritual Framework of Coping that informed the program.

Teaching Professional Ethics in a Faith-Based Doctoral Program: Pedagogical Strategies

Teaching professional ethics in faith-based doctoral programs is similar to teaching this subject in secular programs, with some exceptions. Defining what is meant by “faith-based program,” this article discusses unique issues relevant to teaching Christian psychologists in training, as well as two specific pedagogical strategies: inviting students to assess their ethical decision-making heritage, and creative use of vignettes.

HEALS: A Faith-Based Hypertension Control Program for African-Americans: A Feasibility Study

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a behavioral faith-based PREMIER study modified hypertension (HTN) control intervention in a semi urban African-American (AA) church. Methods: In a prospective longitudinal study design, a 12-week behavioral HEALS (Healthy Eating and Living Spiritually) intervention was tested for its feasibility and efficacy in a semi urban AA church. High-risk adult church members with HTN were recruited. Program sessions were weekly delivered by the trained church members. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Results: 22 of 34 subjects (65% retention) provided complete information on the outcome measures. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduction from baseline was 22 mmHg (p < 0.001) and 6.5 mmHg for diastolic BP (p = 0.0048). Mean weight reduction of 3.11 kg from the baseline (p < 0.0001) was also observed. 91% subjects attended 7 - 9 sessions. Conclusion: Promoting behavioral HTN control interventions in high risk AAs by empowering AA church communities is feasible and efficacious.

Psychological Changes Among Muslim Students Participating in a Faith-Based School Physical Activity Program

Purpose Some religions espouse doctrines that (in)directly impact physical activity (PA) behavior. Yet limited PA interventions have been tailored to religious minorities. Thus, a formative study was conducted to examine the effect of a faith-based pedometer program (Virtual Umra) on psychological correlates of PA behavior and their contribution to school-time changes in PA among Muslim adolescents. Method Forty-three (27 girls, 16 boys; M age = 12.3 ± 1.0 years) students at 1 Islamic middle school participated. Prebaseline and postprogram enjoyment and motivation were measured using the shortened PA Enjoyment Scale and the Situational Motivation Scale, respectively. Pedometer step counts were measured daily during a 2-week baseline and 8 weeks of Virtual Umra. The Reliable Change Index and Cohen's d were used to analyze individual- and group-level changes in enjoyment and motivation, respectively. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) was used to analyze program and gender effects over time. Partial correlations examined the relationships between psychological correlates and PA change. Results One third of the sample expressed greater enjoyment postprogram (p < .001, d = 0.99), while motivation was unaffected (p>.05; range, d = − 0.02 to 0.32). RM-MANOVA revealed that boys increased their steps, whereas girls reduced their step number through the program. Enjoyment increased and extrinsic motivation and amotivation decreased. Partial correlations revealed that enjoyment and more self-determined behavioral regulations were positively associated with non-physical education (PE)-day PA change; only intrinsic motivation was positively associated with PE-day PA change. Conclusion Virtual Umra was associated with increased enjoyment of PA but needs further modification to more positively impact girls' PA.

“What Do You Mean by Spirituality? Please Draw Me a Picture!” Complementary Faith-Based Addiction Treatment in Switzerland From the Client's Perspective

This article reviews: (1) the relative importance of spirituality and religion in Switzerland and the United States, (2) the rationale for faith-based addiction intervention programs and the drawbacks of measurement approaches, and (3) results from a pilot study exploring the meaning of spirituality and religiosity from the consumer's perspective. Twenty-three patients entering the Swiss Südhang clinic in-patient alcohol user treatment program during the first five months in 2012 participated upon their admission in a video-taped drawing task, designed to provide their personal visualized definitions of the terms “spirituality” and “religiosity.” Nine dimensions emerged pointing to a high complexity of the concepts.

Evaluation of an e-learning family planning curriculum for obstetrics and gynecology residents

Methods: The Lessons to Enhance Awareness of Reproductive Needs (LEARN) program includes five 60-minute lessons on (1) Short-acting reversible contraception, (2) Long-acting reversible contraception, (3) Sterilization, (4) Induced abortion, and (5) Management of pregnancy loss. The electronic curriculum includes didactic learning, interactive media, simulations, realistic cases and in-lesson quizzes on evidence-based literature and best clinical practices. Preand post-tests were used to assess knowledge gains. Overall and subtopic performance scores were compared using independent t-tests. Personal characteristics that affect change in knowledge were also evaluated. Regression analyses were used to predict knowledge-gains; faith-based program, year of training, and other significant characteristics were included. Postprogram surveys for learners and program faculty were developed to assess satisfaction and gain feedback.

An Evaluation of the Impact of a Faith-Based Volunteer Program

This paper presents a study undertaken to evaluate the impact of a faith-based volunteer program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and determine how effectively the program serves to connect volunteers, agencies, and the local community. Organizational factors, such as volunteer training, task preparation, and support within the program, affect levels of volunteers’ performance and satisfaction. Based on the volunteers’ and agencies’ input regarding the faith-based volunteer program, we examine how faith-based volunteers perceived their own experiences related to their host program and to what extent they felt satisfied with their assigned work. We discuss survey and interview findings and suggest the need for further research among volunteer organizations.

The Role of Pastor Support in a Faith-Based Health Promotion Intervention

Pastor support has been viewed as an integral part of successful faith-based health promotion programs; however, few studies have systematically studied these relationships. This study examined associations between pastor support and program-related variables among African American churches taking part in a physical activity and dietary intervention. Results showed that some pastor support-related variables were associated with participant recruitment, retention, and implementation of study requirements but not to changes in health behavior outcomes. Much work remains in how to conceptualize and measure pastor support. A better understanding of the pastor's role may assist in developing more effective faith-based programs.

Faith-Based Partnerships and Foster Parent Satisfaction

Throughout the last several decades, there has been a chronic shortage of foster and adoptive families in the United States. Recruiting families to begin the licensure process to become foster and adoptive parents is already a difficult undertaking. But research shows that a very large proportion of families drop out of the licensure process early on due to frustration or a lack of support. This paper studies two faith-based partnerships that have arisen to create new capacity in the child welfare system. These programs recruit prospective families from churches and then provide training and ongoing support to those families throughout the licensure process. Using survey data collected from program participants, respondent perceptions of the licensure process are compared to a nationally representative sample of foster parents from the National Foster Care Adoptions Attitude Survey. Statistical results demonstrate that participants with the faith-based programs reported much higher levels of satisfaction with the process than the national sample. These findings provide evidence that these faith-based partnerships may provide an important additional source of capacity for an overburdened child welfare system.

Teen Challenge: A Program Evaluation of a Faith-Based Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Program

This project is the first formal evaluation of Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. Using a survey instrument created by the author, data were collected from program directors of Teen Challenge programs across the United States (N=75). The survey instrument had three parts: demographic questions, questions concerning the Teen Challenge program, and questions assessing Teen Challenge in the opinion of program directors. The results showed that age and location had a statistically significant association with high success rates, while gender did not. In the opinion of program directors, marital status and parental status were associated with drop out rates, while age and employment status were not. Students who were referred to Teen Challenge via court orders were the most successful in terms of program completion. The most effective spiritual group activity offered was a curriculum called Group Studies for New Christians (GSNC). The most effective spiritual individual activity was personal prayer, and the most effective non-spiritual activity was work projects. Roughly two-thirds of the program directors felt spiritual activities were more important than non-spiritual activities.

Neoliberalism in New Orleans

Neoliberalism in New Orleans Ruth Salvaggio (bio) A review of Vincanne Adams, Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith: New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina. Durham: Duke UP, 2013. “This book is not about Katrina. It is about Americans who have managed to survive a second-order disaster … about the effects of privatizing our most public social services, and about the failure of these services to respond to Americans in need because they are tied to market forces guided by profit” (1). So begins Vincanne Adams’s study of neoliberal policies enacted in the wake of Katrina, policies put into play by the U.S. government’s market-driven response to social welfare programs in general and to disaster recovery in particular. But it is the very particular recovery from Katrina that consumes Adams in this book. She amasses abundant materials that show the inter-workings of government contracts, banking practices, recovery and rescue programs, faith-based initiatives, and charity-for-profit in Katrina’s wake, and she surrounds this data with narratives gained through extensive interviews with citizens of New Orleans who became ensnared in the distinctly entrepreneurial recovery of their city. In some sense, the rebuilding of parts of New Orleans has breathed new life into the city, making for an impressive glossy portrait of its post-Katrina fate. But what Adams sketches out here is not a pretty picture, and it is a picture that shows the fault lines on which profit-driven disaster recovery is likely to proceed anywhere in our increasingly disaster-prone times. The “markets of sorrow” that made booty of human suffering in this particular disaster all stem from market-driven governance policies and their quick implementation in the post-Katrina recovery. These include government dispensation of money and contracts, typically via FEMA and Homeland Security operations, to the likes of Blackwater, Halliburton, and Bechtel for initial rescue and temporary housing (notably the infamous and toxic FEMA Trailers); government subcontracting of the huge federally-funded state-run initiative known as the Road Home Program to the private-sector corporation ICF International; and implementation of the Small Business Administration loan program which forced victims not only to pay for their own long-term recovery, but to pay interest on that self-sustaining venture. In a careful and precise analysis of the workings of these markets, Adams shows how they failed, again and again, to help the people most in need to come even close to rebuilding their homes or renting affordable housing, while they proved remarkably successful as profit-making ventures for the corporations and agencies that used public money for generating private profit. The SBA program alone produced what Adams calls “disaster-induced debt” of the same kind that keeps poor nations perpetually in debt to richer ones, bringing global neoliberal capitalism home to a devastated American city. But there is more. These “markets of sorrow” were variously supported by what Adams calls “labors of faith”—notably the volunteer labor of faith-based groups who descended on the city by the hundreds of thousands, whose good works replaced direct government-funded rebuilding assistance and transformed New Orleans into a veritable missionary outpost. In addition, the more general operations of numerous charity initiatives unfolded through the market’s penetration of humanitarian assistance. This vast “charity economy” continues to extend from the labor of house-gutting and rebuilding by volunteers to the entrepreneurial initiatives of both government and corporations that basically conscript volunteers and the poor into the service of private-sector firms managed by what Adams identifies as “intermediary” organizations—such as the HandsOn Network and Points of Light Institute. Charity is not so much given, but administered—relying on free-market strategies, and blurring any effective distinction between “for profit” and “nonprofit” initiatives. In the case of disasters like Katrina, a particular kind of emotional response that should rightly fuel volunteer action and philanthropic contributions gets channeled through an “affect economy” in which a surplus of emotion serves market agendas. ICF, which made a mess of the Road Home Program, resurfaces as a major investor in faith-based programs, offering its services (for pay) to help such groups organize themselves according to successful...

A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis of gender differences in treatment retention among clients in a faith-based residential drug treatment program in Taiwan

Faith-based treatment programs have played a visible and acclaimed role in Taiwan's long struggle against drug abuse and its social consequences. Christian organizations have been the main sponsors of faith-based recovery services based on a treatment model that emphasizes the transformative benefits of religious conversion. Despite its conceptual appeal, this therapeutic mechanism remains untested and very little is known about gender differences in faith-based treatment performance. This study bridges this research gap by exploring how men and women differ in their treatment retention, and by examining the association between in-treatment religious conversion and treatment retention. The sample comprises 707 clients admitted to Operation Dawn, a faith-based residential treatment, between December 2000 and March 2009. Gender differences in client background characteristics and substance abuse history, probability of religious conversion during treatment, and dropout hazards were identified. Overall, women encountered more challenges in faith-based treatment settings. A robust positive relationship between religious conversion and treatment retention was also found. The high treatment attrition rate, however, proved faith-based treatment to be a modality of high therapeutic specificity. Further research into the dynamics of in-treatment religious conversion is needed to allow informed matching of faith-based services with suitable clients and to identify best practices within this particular clinical framework.

Intersection of identities. Food, role, and the African–American pastor

African–American pastors can foster health-related innovations as gatekeepers and advocates within their churches. Personal experiences with food and health likely influence their support of such programs. Identities or meanings attached to societal roles have been shown to motivate individuals’ attitudes and behaviors. Understanding role and eating identities of African–American pastors may have important implications for participation in faith-based health promotion programs. This study aimed to describe the eating and pastoral identities of African–American pastors, explore intersections between these identities, and highlight implications for nutrition programs. In-depth interviews with 30 African–American pastors were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using theory-guided and grounded-theory approaches. Pastors described affinity across one or more dimensions including healthy, picky, meat, and over-eater identities. In describing themselves as pastors, the dimensions pastor’s heart, teacher, motivator, and role model emerged. Pastors who described themselves as healthy eaters were more likely to see themselves as role models. Pastors with healthier eating identities and more complex pastoral identities described greater support for health programming while unhealthy, picky, and over-eaters did not. These findings provide guidance for understanding eating and role identities among pastors and should be considered when designing and implementing faith-based programs.