Assessing Organizational Factors in Faith-based Organizations Partnering in Health Promotion Interventions

Faith-based organizations are a powerful resource for addressing health issues within the African American community. In this paper, we describe two projects led by volunteer faith-based leaders and community residents who collaborated with public agencies to design programs to combat obesity. The first project, the Southeast Raleigh Community Garden Project, involved the construction of a community garden and the delivery of educational programs on healthy eating among youth. The second one, Project FACT (Faith-based groups Addressing health issues through Community outreach Together in the community), implemented church-based nutrition education programs and community walking programs led by church volunteers. The purpose of the two faith-based health promotion projects was to increase opportunities for physical activity and to encourage consumption of more fruits and vegetables. These projects resulted in the construction of a walking trail with the community garden as its destination, implementation of education programs to increase nutritional awareness, the initiation of multiple walking programs, and policy changes within the church to encourage a healthier lifestyle. The projects demonstrated the feasibility of collaboration among faith-based organizations, community residents and government agencies to promote physical activity and healthful eating among families by creating physical changes in the environment and implementing educational and walking programs in low income communities.

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Engaging Church Leaders in the Reduction of Teen Birth Rate in High-Risk Areas

International Quarterly of Community Health Education ◽

10.1177/0272684x20915378 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 125-132

Author(s):

Mandy Golman ◽

Amy Luu ◽

Nila Ricks ◽

Vanessa Norris ◽

Sarah Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Teen Pregnancy ◽

Church Leaders ◽

Cultural Barriers ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Birth Rates ◽

Teen Birth ◽

Faith Based ◽

Church Education ◽

Faith Based Organizations

Involving faith-based organizations in community health promotion has gained widespread interest and has been a successful approach in addressing various health disparities in vulnerable communities. However, there is comparatively little evidence regarding sexual health promotion among faith-based organizations. Some agencies have responded to the challenge of reducing teen pregnancy with broad-based initiatives involving many different sectors of the community including faith-based organizations. Focus groups with key church leaders ( n = 25) from zip codes with identified birth rates of 95 or higher were conducted to explore their perception of teen pregnancy among their communities. Purposive and snowball sampling were utilized. Recruitment was conducted through calls, email, and flyers. This study identified the barriers that church leaders encounter in their efforts to address teen pregnancy in their communities. Common themes that emerged include church education, parent support and communication, cultural barriers, availability of resources, awareness of services, and the need for comprehensive sexual education. Findings and recommendations to help those working in the faith community overcome identified barriers are addressed. Recent decreases in teen birth rates should not lead to complacency; rather they should inspire public health practitioners to do more, especially when some communities have not experienced the same success. Collaborating with faith-based organizations is one method to consider when considering community prevention efforts.

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Promoting Policy and Environmental Change in Faith-Based Organizations: Description and Findings From a Mini-Grants Program

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.4278/ajhp.150212-quan-724 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 192-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kimberly R. Jacob Arriola ◽

April Hermstad ◽

Shauna St.Clair Flemming ◽

Sally Honeycutt ◽

Michelle L. Carvalho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Environmental Change ◽

Healthy Eating ◽

Healthy Foods ◽

Rural South ◽

P Values ◽

South Georgia ◽

Faith Based ◽

Faith Based Organizations

Purpose. The Emory Prevention Research Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network mini-grant program funded faith-based organizations to implement policy and environmental change to promote healthy eating and physical activity in rural South Georgia. This study describes the existing health promotion environment and its relationship to church member behavior. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Data were obtained from parishioners of six churches in predominantly rural South Georgia. Subjects. Participants were 319 church members with average age of 48 years, of whom 80% were female and 84% were black/African-American. Measures. Questionnaires assessed perceptions of the existing church health promotion environment relative to nutrition and physical activity, eating behavior and intention to use physical activity facilities at church, and eating and physical activity behaviors outside of church. Analysis. Multiple regression and ordinal logistic regression using generalized estimating equations were used to account for clustered data. Results. Results indicate that delivering messages via sermons and church bulletins, having healthy eating programs, and serving healthy foods are associated with participants’ self-reported consumption of healthy foods at church (all p values ≤ .001). Serving more healthy food and less unhealthy food was associated with healthier eating in general but not to physical activity in general (p values ≤ .001). Conclusion. The church environment may play an important role in supporting healthy eating in this setting and more generally.

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Urban-rural differences for health promotion in faith-based organizations

Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care ◽

10.14574/ojrnhc.v12i2.25 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 51-63

Author(s):

Melissa Bopp ◽

Benjamin Webb ◽

Elizabeth Fallon

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Faith Based ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Faith Based Organizations

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Improving workers’ health in project-based work: job security considerations

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business ◽

10.1108/ijmpb-08-2015-0070 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 606-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Michelle Turner ◽

Helen Lingard

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Health Behaviour ◽

Organizational Factors ◽

Job Security ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Male Population ◽

Content Type ◽

Health Promotion Interventions ◽

The Impact ◽

Research Period

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of health promotion interventions in Queensland, Australia. During the research period, the workers’ employing organization, a large contracting organization, was engaged in a competitive tender to renew their service contract. The research therefore provided an opportunity to examine the impact of health promotion interventions in project-based work environments under conditions of job insecurity. Design/methodology/approach – The sample comprised of workers contracted to provide facility maintenance and management services for a power station. Data were collected using a longitudinal survey of workers’ health, weekly logs recording health behaviour, and a post-intervention evaluation workshop. Health interventions implemented sought to encourage workers to eat more fruit and participate in a physical exercise programme. Findings – Findings revealed that workers’ health was generally lower than the Queensland male population when measured using a standardized norm-based tool. The log data revealed that health behaviour fluctuated over time but did not show significant or sustained improvement with the introduction of the health interventions. The evaluation workshop revealed that workers’ concerns about their job security during the research period impacted their health behaviours. Originality/value – The need to address the structural and organizational factors that influence the health of project-based workers is highlighted. In particular, concerns about continuity of work may otherwise reduce the beneficial effect of health promotion programmes.

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