Faith wellness collaboration: a community-based approach to address type II diabetes disparities in an African-American community

Soc Work Health Care. 2011;50(5):360-75. doi: 10.1080/00981389.2011.567128.

Abstract

Community-based participatory action research was utilized to form a collaboration that developed a Health Ministry program in four Northeastern urban Black Churches, in which they designed and implemented a culturally competent Type II Diabetes self management education program. Minister sponsorship and a program coordinator synchronized the four Health Ministries' development and diabetes program planning. A case study design, and participant observations and a focus group methodology were used to explore the faith-based community residents' collaboration development, and design and implementation of the health promotion program. The implementation process can be described as occurring in four essential elements: (1) the development of the health ministry in each of the four churches; (2) the process in which the four ministries coordinated their activities to create the diabetes education program; (3) the process of delivering the diabetes education program; and (4) the challenges in promoting the diabetes education program across the community. Practice implications, as well as cultural competency issues related to social work practice with faith-based organizations and African-American communities, are also presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Community Health Services / methods*
  • Community Participation
  • Community-Institutional Relations
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / ethnology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / psychology
  • Focus Groups
  • Health Promotion / methods
  • Humans
  • New York
  • Organizational Case Studies
  • Patient Education as Topic*
  • Religion and Medicine*
  • Self Care
  • Social Work
  • Urban Health Services