Purpose: The church is a focal point for health education efforts in minority communities due to its status as one of the most prominent and stable institutions. This paper highlights an approach for identifying health programming targets in minority churches.

Methods: Twenty-four churches participated in a one-year Health Ministry Institute (HMI), designed to help churches develop sustainable ministries for health promotion. HMI attendees were instructed on conducting a Congregational Health Assessment (CHA) to identify prevalent health conditions and related behaviors in their churches. Churches collected CHAs over a one-month period. Data were analyzed and results were discussed during a HMI session and used to prioritize health-related issues that could be addressed at individual churches.

Results: Seventeen churches (71%) returned surveys (n=887; 70% female; 73% African American). Prevalent health conditions, participation in health-promoting behaviors, interest in learning to live healthy, and interest in health ministry activities were identified using the CHA.

Conclusions: The CHA shows promise for health assessment, and can be used to identify health issues that are of interest and relevance to church congregants and leaders. The CHA may assist churches with implementing effective and sustainable programs to address the identified health issues.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.02.005DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

health
13
health assessment
12
congregational health
8
assessment identify
8
health promotion
8
health ministry
8
prevalent health
8
health conditions
8
health issues
8
churches
7

Similar Publications

Background: Whether a detected virus or bacteria is a pathogen that may require treatment, or is merely a commensal 'passenger', remains confusing for many infections. This confusion is likely to increase with the wider use of multi-pathogen PCR.

Objectives: To propose a new statistical procedure to analyse and present data from case-control studies clarifying the probability of causality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Point-of-care ultrasound in the diagnosis of hepatic gas gangrene.

J Ultrasound

January 2025

Argentinian Critical Care Ultrasonography Association (ASARUC), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Hepatic gas gangrene (HGG) is a rare but life-threatening condition typically caused by anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, though Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species have also been implicated. Traditionally diagnosed via computed tomography (CT), point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a valuable tool in critical care settings for its non-invasive, bedside utility. We report the case of a 51-year-old female with choledochal syndrome secondary to cholangiocarcinoma who developed HGG following left extended hepatectomy and biliary reconstruction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Changes in cerebrovascular reactivity as a marker of cognitive impairment risk: a transcranial Doppler study.

J Ultrasound

January 2025

Clinical Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University Hospital and Health Services of Trieste, ASUGI, University of Trieste, Strada di Fiume, 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy.

Introduction: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and dementia affect short- and long-term outcome after stroke and can persist even after recover from a physical handicap. The process underlying PSCI is not yet fully understood. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is a feasible method to investigate cerebrovascular aging or dementia, through the pulsatility index (PI), the cerebrovascular reactivity (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

18F-Sodium Fluoride PET/CT as a Tool to Assess Enthesopathies in X-Linked Hypophosphatemia.

Calcif Tissue Int

January 2025

Endocrinology Department, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Diagonal Paraguay 262, Cuarto Piso, Santiago, Chile.

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare metabolic disorder characterized by elevated FGF23 and chronic hypophosphatemia, leading to impaired skeletal mineralization and enthesopathies that are associated with pain, stiffness, and diminished quality of life. The natural history of enthesopathies in XLH remains poorly defined, partly due to absence of a sensitive quantitative tool for assessment and monitoring. This study investigates the utility of 18F-NaF PET/CT scans in characterizing enthesopathies in XLH subjects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resistance training (RT) load and volume are considered crucial variables to appropriately prescribe and manage for eliciting the targeted acute responses (i.e., minimizing neuromuscular fatigue) and chronic adaptations (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!