Faith Beliefs of African American Church Leaders Are Aligned With the Principles of Palliative and Hospice Care: A Community-Based Assessment and Intervention.

Background: African American (AA) church leaders often advise AAs with serious and life-limiting illnesses (LLIs).

Objectives: 1) determine beliefs of AA church leaders about palliative care and hospice care (PCHC), 2) assess association of participants' attitude about encouraging a loved one to learn about PCHC with whether PC or HC is consistent with faith beliefs and can reduce suffering and bring comfort, and 3) evaluate an interactive, educational intervention.

Design: prospective, one group, pre and post assessment of beliefs and attitudes Settings/Subjects: 100 church leaders from 3 AA Churches and one AA Church Consortium.