Pilgrimage to Wellness: An Exploratory Report of Rural African American Clergy Perceptions of Church Health Promotion Capacity

Abstract

Churches serve vital roles in African American communities, where disease burden is disproportionately greater and healthcare access is more limited. Although church leadership often must approve programs and activities conducted within churches, little is known about their perception of churches as health promotion organizations, or the impact of church-based health promotion on their own health. This exploratory study assessed perceptions of church capacity to promote health among 27 rural, African American clergy leaders and report the relationship between their own health and that of their congregation. Results indicate a perceived need to increase the capacity of their churches to promote health. Most common were conducting health programs, displaying health information, kitchen committee working with the health ministry, partnerships outside of the church, and funding. Findings lay the foundation for the development of future studies of key factors associated with organizational change and health promotion in these rural church settings.

KEYWORDS:

• African American
• capacity
• churches
• clergy
• health promotion

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the clergy of the Community Empowerment Network (CEN) for their participation in this pilot study. The authors also thank the NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCOMHHD) for its support of CEN. This research was supported in part by pilot funds provided to the Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health by The John Templeton Foundation. Dr. Carter-Edwards's efforts were also supported in part by a Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) administrative supplement grant from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), 3UL1RR024128-03S2.

At the time of this research, Lori Carter-Edwards was affiliated with the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University. She is currently affiliated with the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Notes

Note. For characteristics above, sums of percents not equal to 100% are a result of rounding.

^a Attend church monthly.

^b Respondents could choose as many methods as desired.

^c Cancer and HIV were also listed as response choice options in the survey, but not selected by respondents.

^d Other barriers included health insurance and provider access.

Note. ^a Differences in percents of perception of attribute as very important compared to its existence in the church. Measures perceived need of attribute, where the more negative the difference the greater the perceived need.

^b McNemar's test of differences in percents of very important and exist in church. Bolded p values indicate where there is a significant difference between what pastors deem important and what they actually have at their church.